I Threw Us into the Flames
by ihearttvsnark
Summary: Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even more.
1. Light the Match

**Title:** I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17/M

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 Light the Match<strong>

He wasn't as surprised by the request for a meeting as he probably should have been. But maybe it wasn't possible to be surprised by _anything_ the Originals did anymore. It felt like life had become one giant mindfuck after another since they'd descended on Mystic Falls. Of course the town had been a hotbed for danger and destruction for centuries with all the supernatural creatures roaming the streets. On some level he knew that he probably had no right to be as disgusted by that fact as he was, considering he _was_ one of those creatures, but that didn't stop the thought from crossing his mind.

The sun was just starting to rise in the morning sky as Stefan made his way through the woods to the clearing that was all too familiar to him. He could still see that night in his mind; the night where all of this could have ended if Elijah had kept his word and ripped Klaus's heart from his chest when he'd had the chance. But that would have been too easy and would have gone against the curse that plagued the town and everyone in it. At the same time, Stefan knew that he couldn't judge Elijah too harshly; he had lost count of the number of times he had saved his own brother when death might have been the wiser choice.

Stefan pushed the 'what if' thoughts from his mind; he knew there was no point in dwelling on what might have been. He'd meant it when he'd told Elena that allowing himself to feel only led to more pain. He was done with pain and feelings and remorse and now he just wanted to move forward and do what he could to stop the ever-rising body count. There had already been too much suffering.

As he stepped out into the open, Stefan half-expected to be murdered on the spot. Again, nothing would surprise him at this point. It looked like he was the first one to arrive, but Stefan knew better than that. "Are you waiting to make sure I'm alone?" he called out. There was no need to raise his voice; he knew the other man had probably heard him coming from the moment he'd walked out of the boardinghouse.

"Perhaps I was just enjoying the solitude." Elijah materialized in front of him so quickly that even Stefan had to blink at the sudden movement. As always, he was dressed in one of his tailored suits, not a wrinkle in sight even with the winter's breeze that would have had humans shivering rustled through the quiet air surrounding them.

"Elijah," Stefan greeted him simply. He wasn't going to ask how he was doing or bother with any other pleasantries because they both knew that they weren't there for a friendly chat. "So is this going to be a new thing?" he asked. "One of your family members sends out a summons or a party invitation and we're just supposed to come running?"

"You could have declined but here you are," Elijah replied. He sounded like he was already bored with the conversation, but Stefan had come to realize that was just his default setting. Elijah quietly took everything in and then he reacted on his own timetable. He wasn't impulsive like Klaus but Stefan knew he had it in him to be every bit as dangerous and he couldn't let his guard down around Elijah, no matter how much it seemed like the Original was on their side.

"What can I do for you, Elijah?" Stefan asked warily. He knew better than to make assumptions, but he had a few theories as to why the other vampire had requested a meeting. His first thought was that Elijah wanted to talk to him about reining in Damon. Between his brother murdering Kol for the hell of it and then getting drunk and hooking up with Rebekah, Stefan could see why Elijah might have a few issues with the elder Salvatore at the moment. But Elijah was normally the type to go right to the source.

"We have a common goal," Elijah said. "I can freely admit that I made a mistake when I went back on our agreement to kill Klaus before he completed his transformation. I let my need to be reunited with my family cloud my judgment and it has cost all of us. I am sorry for that."

Stefan was unable to hide his surprise; his careful poker face slipping away for a brief moment. He knew Elijah was angry with Klaus and that was the reason he'd removed the daggers from his other siblings in the first place before their mother had shown up but he couldn't believe he was actually apologizing for not following through with their first plan. "I can understand the need to be close to family even if your family is filled with psychopaths," he commented.

Elijah's calm expression didn't falter, but Stefan caught a flash of something in his eyes he couldn't quite read. "We can debate all day about misdeeds and indiscretions, but you probably shouldn't be so quick to throw stones given your own recent history."

"What do you want, Elijah?" Stefan asked, not bothering to hide his impatience. He'd mentioned a common goal, but Stefan wasn't really sure what goal that could be since Elijah had his family and his mother's presence seemed to be keeping Klaus in line for the time being. Or at least that was what her children were being led to believe that Esther was doing. Elena had filled Stefan in on her true motives and while Elena might feel guilty about the collateral damage, Stefan disagreed. He'd be perfectly happy never having to see an Original again.

"My brother needs to be stopped and while I appreciate that my mother sees things the way I do, I can't say that I approve of her methods. I am not willing to die for Niklaus's sins and I know my siblings feel the same way aside from Finn," Elijah replied. "That is why I have asked for this meeting."

Apparently, it was possible to be surprised by something an Original did after all, Stefan mused. Elijah clearly knew about Esther's plan but he didn't seem bothered by the notion that his own mother was attempting to kill him and his siblings. He didn't seem frightened by it either which Stefan quickly realized meant that the spell wasn't going to work and Elijah knew it. "Elena said you took a sip of the champagne," he said.

"It _appeared_ that I did," Elijah corrected. A hint of a smile crossed his face. "I'm surprised that Elena hasn't learned that the hand is quicker than the eye after all the time she's spent with vampires. She also hasn't learned the nuances of a well told lie. I could tell by the way she was looking at my glass that something was going on. One learns to read humans after centuries of interacting with them," he added.

"You don't seem angry with her," Stefan commented. It didn't matter how hard he tried to fight his humanity; he would never let any harm come to Elena. If Elijah knew what she had done, then there was a chance the other Originals did too. Klaus needed her alive, but Stefan knew the others would probably rather see her dead; Esther included. "What are you planning?" he asked.

Elijah shook his head, amused. "Some things never do change," he muttered. "I learn from my mistakes, Stefan. As much as I would have liked to have given Elena the benefit of the doubt, I remember her plunging a dagger into my heart the first time she'd asked me to trust her. If retaliation is what you're worried about, you should know that's not why I'm here. The others do not know about my mother's plan and they don't need to since the magic didn't work."

"Forgive me if I don't just take you at your word," Stefan replied. He knew Elijah was the only Original that had any kind of a moral compass, but that didn't mean he was going to blindly believe any assurances that came out of his mouth; especially not when it came to Elena. "You know Elena betrayed you and I know that you've betrayed us in the past. What makes you think I'd want to help you now?" he asked.

"Our common goal," Elijah repeated. "Niklaus was terrified our mother would be able to destroy him. She is not his only weakness. I'm proposing that we combine our collective resources and find the answer. Will you help or not?"

"Why would you come to me?" Stefan asked. He could see why Elijah wouldn't trust Elena and Damon was clearly out of control, but as Elijah had pointed out, Stefan had had his own issues recently that made him a less reliable ally. He felt like he was missing something and he wasn't going to make any kind of deal until Elijah was more specific.

"Elena has proven that she cannot be counted on and Damon doesn't have the same connection to the resources as you do. We'll need help from the witches and from what I've seen; Damon has made an enemy out of every witch he's ever met. We'll also need Caroline's help and I was under the impression that you were closer to her than Damon. Was I misinformed?" he asked.

"Caroline?" Stefan repeated. He'd assumed Bonnie would be involved since Esther had told Elena that only magic could stop Klaus, but he didn't see what Caroline had to do with this. "Why do you need Caroline's help?"

"To distract Niklaus," Elijah replied. He must have anticipated Stefan's next question because he continued before he had a chance to open his mouth. "My brother is intrigued by her and he sees her rejection as a challenge. As long as Caroline continues to hold his attention, he won't have time to see what we are planning with the witches."

Stefan shook his head. "We're not going to use Caroline to bait Klaus," he said firmly. As much as Stefan wanted to see Klaus gone for good, he wasn't willing to accept collateral damage and frankly, he was irritated that Elijah could be so casual with someone else's life. "I thought you were supposed to be the good one."

For the first time that morning, Elijah's expression changes for longer than a few seconds and Stefan sees outrage in his eyes at the mere suggestion that he was anything but the moral and just man everyone said he was. "No harm will come to Caroline. I know it's hard to believe, but Niklaus does still have some human emotions in him and he feels something for the girl. This is an advantage," he stated.

"What makes you think Caroline would want to help?" Stefan countered. He still didn't like the idea, but he'd spent enough time with Klaus to know that Elijah was right. As desperately as Klaus had ordered Stefan to turn off his humanity, Klaus had still managed to hold onto some of his own. It was faint, but Stefan had seen a few glimpses of it when Klaus wasn't busy murdering people or turning them into monsters to manipulate for his own sick pleasure.

"She's been hurt by Niklaus as have the rest of her friends. She has a big heart," Elijah pointed out. A small smile crossed his face again when Stefan raised an eyebrow. "I'm observant," he reminded him before he continued. "Perhaps you can ask her if she'd be willing and then we can move on with the plan from there."

"I see," Stefan said. Elijah's reasons for coming to him were starting to make more sense now. He basically needed a buffer to pave the way between him and Caroline and probably him and Bonnie as well, although he had mentioned witches, so Stefan wasn't sure if he was referring to Bonnie's mother or if he had other witches in mind. Stefan imagined he knew a lot of them. Either way, Stefan wasn't sure throwing Caroline in Klaus's path was the best option for anyone.

"The decision should be Caroline's," Stefan told him. "I'll talk to her and see what she thinks and then we can go from there."

"I believe the sheriff is working the early shift this morning so we should get going before she leaves," Elijah commented. "It seems like a lovely morning for a visit and a chat over tea," he said.

Stefan rolled his eyes. He could see that Elijah obviously didn't trust him to talk to Caroline on his own and he supposed after everything they'd all been through, he couldn't blame him for that. "Fine, let's go," he agreed.

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><p>Caroline had spent the night tossing and turning in her bed, her mind refusing to shut off, no matter how much she tried to push everything out of her head. She'd finally given up around four a.m. and had gotten out of bed to do some homework that she'd been neglecting. She couldn't help thinking that she probably would have laughed if someone had told her that she'd actually be grateful for the ten page paper she had to write on the Civil War. But concentrating on the paper was a lot better than thinking about what had happened at the ball and what had happened after she'd gotten home.<p>

Her eyes drifted away from her laptop to the drawing that was sitting on her nightstand beside her cell phone. Caroline was tempted to reach for it again and read the words Klaus had scrawled at the bottom. She'd already spent way too much time staring at them and wondering if he'd meant what he'd said about appreciating her honesty. She supposed the fact that he hadn't ripped her heart out on the spot spoke volumes, but Caroline wasn't going to give him too much credit. Elena had said the Originals were under strict orders from their mother to be nice.

Caroline doubted that would last long and it didn't matter anyway. She wasn't going to sit around thinking about Klaus unless it was to remember how horrible he was. Ignoring the drawing, she picked up her cell phone instead to check and see if there were any new messages from Tyler. She had a few texts from Elena and Bonnie, but that was it. Caroline considered calling Tyler again and leaving him another message and then thought better of it. He was trying to heal himself and he would call her back when he had a chance.

She tried to focus on her paper again, but the same thoughts that had plagued her mind and prevented her from sleeping continued to creep into her head. Caroline could see the drawing out of the corner of her eye, almost like it was calling out to her, asking her to pay attention to it and to the man who had made it for her. Not a man, Caroline corrected herself. Klaus was a hybrid, the _Original_ hybrid, and she couldn't let herself forget that. Everything about him was dangerous.

The doorbell rang, pulling her from her thoughts and Caroline frowned when she glanced down at the clock in the corner of her computer screen and saw that it was just after seven. It was never a good sign when someone came over that early; it usually meant someone was dead or there was a new breed of monster in town. Caroline set her computer on the bed and used her vampire speed to get her down the stairs and into the foyer in a manner of seconds. She saw Stefan standing on the porch but it wasn't until she opened the door that she spotted Elijah standing behind him.

"What's going on?" she asked, sending a nervous look in Stefan's direction. Caroline couldn't remember the last time Stefan had come to see her; they hadn't spoken much since he'd had his humanity revoked or whatever it was that Klaus had done to him. But she doubted Stefan brought Elijah to her house just to see how she was doing. "Is Elena okay?"

"As far as I know," Stefan replied. He glanced back at Elijah to see if the Original was going to take over, but he seemed content to just stand in the background. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Stefan turned back to Caroline and gave her a tight smile. "There's something we need to discuss with you. Do you have a few minutes?" he asked.

"Sure," Caroline replied. Stefan was clearly uncomfortable and that only added to her curiosity as to what they were doing there. She stepped to the side so they could enter the house. Stefan moved past her but Elijah remained where he was, still not saying anything. She opened her mouth to tell him to come in and then stopped herself and called out for her mother instead.

"Caroline, is everything okay?" Liz asked as she made her way down the stairs, already dressed for work. A look of surprise crossed her face when she saw Stefan and her eyes widened further when they fell on Elijah. "What's going on?"

"Sheriff Forbes," Elijah greeted her politely. "I have a private matter I wish to speak to your daughter about. May I come in?" he asked.

Liz hesitated, glancing between Caroline and Stefan. "Your family has promised the council that you don't mean this town any harm. Does that still hold true?" she asked.

Elijah nodded. "I assure you that no harm will come to anyone you care about from my hand. May I come in?" he asked again.

"Mom, it's okay," Caroline said. Elena had told her over and over again that Elijah was trustworthy and despite the way he'd been acting lately, Stefan had always been good to her so Caroline doubted he was suddenly going to turn on her. Besides, Klaus already came and went from their house whenever he felt like it. What was one more Original with access privileges?

Liz still looked skeptical, but she turned back to Elijah and nodded. "Please come in," she said. "Would you like something to drink?"

Elijah shook his head as he crossed the threshold into the house. "We won't be staying long. Thank you for your hospitality," he added.

"Have a good day at work, Mom," Caroline said, leaning in to kiss her mother's cheek before she motioned for Stefan and Elijah to follow her into the living room. She got the feeling the elder vampire wasn't going to say anything until they were alone. She took a seat on the couch and was mildly surprised when Stefan sat down beside her. Elijah sat in the chair across from them and as soon as Caroline heard the front door close again, she turned to him once more. "What is going on?" she repeated anxiously.

"Elijah has decided that he wants Klaus gone after all and he needs some help getting rid of him," Stefan answered before Elijah had a chance to speak. "He specifically needs _your_ help because he thinks Klaus has a crush on you." Stefan shifted his gaze to Elijah and raised an eyebrow. "That sums it up, right?" he asked.

"In the most simple of terms," Elijah replied. He rested his hands in his lap, ignoring Stefan's gaze and meeting Caroline's. "I observed you with Niklaus at the ball. My brother is quite taken with you and I believe that can work to our advantage, but first I must ask if there is any chance that you return his feelings."

"What?" Caroline cried, outraged. "Are you crazy?" She couldn't believe Elijah was seriously asking her that. "The only feelings I have for Klaus are contempt and revulsion," she replied, scowling at the idea of actually having romantic feelings toward him. She wasn't even grateful to him for saving her life; how could she be when he'd put her in peril in the first place? But she wasn't going to spend all day ranting about how much it annoyed her that he kept sneaking into her room and leaving her presents either. She had her own question for Elijah.

"I don't get where this is coming from. I thought that ball was to show the town how united your family is and how you're just like the rest of us," Caroline commented, barely refraining from rolling her eyes at the notion that the Originals were trying to have a normal life. She really hoped no one was naïve enough to believe that. "Why do you want to get rid of Klaus now? Didn't you wimp out the last time you were supposed to kill him?"

Stefan smirked as he raised an eyebrow at Elijah. "That's a fair point." He'd already heard Elijah's explanation, but he thought it was only fair that he laid everything out for Caroline as well. She was the one who he was asking to take the biggest risk.

Elijah looked at Stefan for a moment and then turned to Caroline. "My brother is dangerous and he needs to be stopped. As I already told Stefan, I realize now that I made an error in judgment when I let Niklaus become what he is today. I know that has cost you personal grief and I am sorry for that. I want to make sure that Niklaus cannot hurt anyone else," he said.

Caroline's chest tightened as her thoughts drifted to Tyler. Even though he'd told her that Klaus had made things better for him, she'd known all along that wasn't true and now Tyler did too. He was suffering because of what Klaus had made him do and that wasn't something Caroline would forget. She also wouldn't forget that he'd murdered Jenna, destroyed Stefan and had decided Elena was his own personal blood bank. "He does need to be stopped," she agreed quietly.

"Does that mean you're willing to help?" Stefan asked. He still wasn't crazy about this plan of Elijah's; there were too many variables in play and the likelihood that something could go wrong was too high. He wanted Klaus gone, but the plan needed to be precise or they'd be the ones paying instead of him.

"I'm still not sure what you expect me to do," Caroline replied. Elijah had said that Klaus was taken with her; Klaus himself had said nearly the same thing when he'd told her that he fancied her. That was something else that seemed to echo in her head even though she was doing her best to ignore it. She pushed the thought aside once more and focused on Elijah. "How can you be sure this isn't just a game on his part? Maybe he's bored and wants to mess with my head."

Caroline wouldn't put it past him to do something like that. She knew the reason he'd saved her life in the first place was so that he would have leverage to get her mother on his side. All the council members except Damon and Alaric had agreed to keep the peace and so far they had. But the request still seemed too simple for Klaus; she had a feeling there was more to his sudden interest in her than he claimed.

"Niklaus can be manipulative but I do not think that is the case here," Elijah replied. "Caroline, I'm not asking you to return his feelings or even to pretend that you are. But perhaps if you spend additional time with him, Stefan and I will be able to work with the witches long enough to find the spell to destroy his immorality once and for all."

"That's what he's hoping will happen," Stefan interjected. "There's always a chance Klaus will figure out what we're up to and kill us all," he said cheerfully. "You know I'm right," Stefan continued before Elijah had a chance to respond. "I just want to make sure you're not leaving out any of the facts. We'd be risking our lives to help you with this and you're still not sure it will work."

"No," Elijah confirmed, "I am not." He turned to Caroline again, his expression somber. "But the alternative where Niklaus gets to continue to do as he pleases and destroy anyone who gets in his way is no longer acceptable. Will you help?" he asked.

Caroline hesitated. She knew Stefan was right and there was a great risk involved, but Elijah had a point too. Klaus was never going to stop hurting people. His mother might have some control over him for the moment, but he had killed her once so it wasn't out of the question that he could do it again. Klaus had hurt too many people who mattered to her and if there was something she could do to prevent anyone else from getting hurt, she had to try. She briefly glanced at Stefan before she met Elijah's expectant gaze.

"I'll help you any way I can," she said softly.


	2. Smoke and Mirrors

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews and the story alerts! :)

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><p><strong>Title:<strong> I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17/M

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Smoke and Mirrors<strong>

"Have you approached Klaus yet?"

Caroline looked up, confused to see Stefan standing beside the small table in the back of the library where she'd been attempting to study for her chemistry test. "What are you doing here?" she asked, ignoring his question. "I thought you gave up school." She knew she hadn't exactly been a model student lately, but that wasn't her fault. There had been a lot going on between her father dying, ancient vampires terrorizing the town and the whole serial killer thing that the council was desperate to cover up, even if they were the targets.

"I put in an appearance every now and then," Stefan replied as he settled into the chair across from her. He glanced down at her book for a moment before he met her gaze. "Caroline, have you approached Klaus?" he asked again.

She let out a long sigh. "No," Caroline admitted. It had been almost a week since the ball and she hadn't seen Klaus once nor had he left her anymore surprises in her room. Part of her was relieved because she already had enough to deal with but the other part of her, the part that had promised to help Elijah and Stefan with their plan, felt guilty for not actually doing anything to help. Instead, she'd kept to herself more than usual and spent a lot of time at school and the rest at her house so it was less likely she'd run into anyone. She hadn't counted on Stefan tracking her down at school but Caroline realized she should have.

Stefan watched her for a moment, not saying anything before he leaned forward and lowered his voice even though they were the only ones in the library. "Caroline, you don't have to do this. I can tell Elijah to find another way." Stefan still didn't like this plan; he wanted to get rid of Klaus, but he didn't want Caroline or anyone else hurt in the process. "Just say the word," he said.

Caroline shook her head. "I _want_ to help. I'm just not really sure what I'm supposed to do. I think Klaus would be suspicious if I showed up on his doorstep and asked him to have dinner at the Grill with me, you know?" Caroline had a feeling no matter what she did; Klaus was going to be suspicious at her sudden change of heart. She'd made it perfectly clear the night of the ball that she didn't like him and she had zero interest in changing her mind.

"I agree," Stefan said. "But I don't think bold declarations are the way to go. Klaus likes the chase; the challenge is what keeps him interested. He likes to be in control and it throws him when he's not. You need to let him find you. Spend more time in plain sight instead of hidden away in corners of the library," he suggested. "Unless you don't want to do this…" His voice trailed off as he gave her an expectant look.

"It's nice to have the Stefan who cares about people back," Caroline said. Stefan had always been good to her; he'd been so much help when she'd first been turned and she would never forget that; even if he had spent his summer killing innocent people because Klaus told him to. That was just one more reason for her to do this. She wanted to stop Klaus from hurting anyone else she cared about just for his own sick pleasure.

"That's a good idea," Caroline continued, not giving Stefan a chance to claim that he was still the unfeeling monster he wanted them to think he was. "I'll start spending more time at the Grill and see if that will draw him out." She still wasn't convinced that she would have any kind of power over Klaus, but Stefan was right about him liking games. "Has Elijah contacted the witches? Do you think he told Bonnie that I'm part of this?" she asked, wondering if maybe she'd have someone else she could confide in.

"I don't know," Stefan admitted. Elijah liked to play his cards close to the vest and Stefan doubted he would share anymore than he had to. "You should probably work under the assumption that you and I are the only ones who know the full extent of the plan. Or your part in it," he corrected himself.

Caroline nodded. "I'm not going to say anything to anyone." She knew her friends would just try to talk her out of it or worse, they'd try to protect her and get themselves hurt in the process. "Thanks for the advice," she added with a smile.

Stefan returned her smile as he got to his feet. "You're welcome. Call me if you need anything else and be careful, Caroline. Don't ever forget how dangerous Klaus is," he warned.

"I won't," Caroline assured him. She was going into this situation with her eyes wide open. Klaus was the enemy and the only reason she was doing this was so they could bring him down once and for all. Maybe then everyone would have a chance of surviving the rest of the year.

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><p>"Stefan was at school today but he didn't say anything to me. I don't think he stayed for all of his classes either but it seemed strange that he was there. But maybe it's a good sign like he's trying to get back to normal."<p>

Caroline was only half-listening as Elena debated all the reasons Stefan might have been at school that day. It wasn't like she could tell her the actual reason he'd been there and Caroline didn't want to give her any false hope; not that she believed for one second that Stefan had ever stopped loving Elena. She really wished she could just tell her friend what was going on, but Caroline knew Stefan was right and it was better to limit the amount of people who knew what was going on. There would be less collateral damage that way.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from frowning at the term. Klaus had used it the night he'd come into her bedroom to save her life after he'd made Tyler bite her. He'd told her that it wasn't anything personal; she was just collateral damage. Maybe that was how she needed to look at what she was doing or attempting to do. But that didn't make sense because it _was_ personal; Klaus was the intended target and Caroline wanted him gone. He'd already destroyed too many lives.

"Caroline, are you listening to me?" Elena's voice pulled her from her thoughts and Caroline gave her friend a sheepish smile. She'd completely zoned out and she had to assume Elena had asked her a question that she had missed.

"Sorry, I was thinking about that chemistry test. Pretty sure I failed it," Caroline said. There was enough truth in that. She'd barely paid attention to what she was writing down. But did it really matter if she passed high school chemistry? She was a vampire forever stuck in the body of a seventeen-year-old. She wasn't planning to be a doctor or a chemist or anything else that required her to actually know what happened when two beakers of chemicals were mixed together.

Elena was still watching her carefully, a concerned look on her face as she leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Are you sure you're all right, Caroline? You were the one who suggested we come here and you've barely said two words. Did something happen?" she asked.

"What hasn't happened, Elena?" Caroline replied, trying to make it sound like a joke, but not quite being able to pull off the light tone that it required. The truth was that she'd been tense since the moment the two of them walked into the Grill. Caroline had done a quick survey of the room and she'd seen Matt heading into the back room with a stack of boxes and that weird doctor was drinking at the bar, but none of their other friends or any of the Originals was on hand that afternoon.

Caroline knew that could change any moment and once again she found herself torn. The whole point of hanging out in public was to try and catch Klaus's eye again but on the other hand, she still didn't know how she was supposed to act around him. Did she continue to treat him like she despised him as much as she actually did? Or was she supposed to pretend that she was softening because of that picture he'd left in her room after the ball? Again, she wished she could just tell Elena everything so she could ask for her opinion.

"Ladies, you're both looking incredibly lovely this afternoon." Both girls looked up in surprise to see Kol standing beside their table, grinning at them as he gazed back and forth between the two. "Which one of you would like to accompany me to the bar for a drink and any other stimulating activities that we can think of?" he asked.

"Kol." Klaus's voice had more than a hint of warning as he appeared behind his younger brother. He just looked at him for a moment before his gaze shifted briefly to Elena and then to Caroline. "My brother lacks manners. Would you like a drink, sweetheart?" he asked.

"No," Caroline replied as she met Klaus's gaze and glared at him. "I'm still mad at you for the way you acted at the party. You were rude and breaking into my house to leave me another present that I don't want does _not_ count as an apology." Out of the corner of her eye, Caroline saw Elena's mouth drop open as shock crossed her face, but Caroline ignored her and focused on Klaus. "Run along and bother someone else," she said haughtily in her best mean girl voice. "Elena and I are busy."

Kol started laughing and Klaus elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up as he sent another withering look in his direction and then met Caroline's eyes once more. "The gift was a token of my appreciation for you opening my eyes. Now I'm asking you to have a drink with me," he said.

"And I'm telling you that I don't want to," Caroline replied. She waved her hand dismissively toward the bar. "You two can just entertain yourselves. We're not interested." She turned away from Klaus and smiled at Elena who was staring at her like she'd lost her mind. "What were we talking about before that annoying interruption?" she asked.

"The chemistry test," Elena replied. She watched Klaus and Kol move toward the bar and raised her eyebrow at Caroline. "What was that?"

Caroline shrugged as she pointed to her ear, reminding Elena that Klaus could hear every word they said. "I told him that I wasn't interested because I'm with Tyler and he can't seem to take a hint. Do you want to go shopping this weekend?" she asked, changing the subject even as she tried to listen to what Klaus and Kol were saying at the bar. So far all they'd done was order drinks.

"Caroline," Elena said firmly, her eyes drifting to the bar for a moment before shifting back to her friend. "Klaus is still leaving you presents? What happened at the ball?" she asked.

"Don't ask," Caroline said. The fact that Klaus and Kol were not saying anything made her think it was because they were both listening and she knew she had to play this very carefully. "I told him I wasn't interested and that's that. Nothing he says or does will change my mind." She heard Kol laughing again and then Klaus was threatening to put the dagger back in his heart. Caroline chewed on the inside of her cheek to keep the smile off her face. Maybe she could do this after all.

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><p>The next night, it was nearly midnight when Caroline left the Grill after assuring Matt that she would be fine walking home on her own. She appreciated his concern, but she was more than capable of protecting herself. She also didn't want him asking her anymore questions about why she'd spent the entire night sitting alone, watching the door and trying not to feel disappointed when Klaus didn't walk through it. She knew it was silly, but she couldn't help being offended that he hadn't sought her out again after she'd rejected him.<p>

Caroline had thought for sure that her plan was working and he'd want to try again. Klaus and Kol had still been at the bar when she'd left with Elena the day before and she'd half expected there to be another gift waiting for her when she'd gotten home, but there was nothing. She'd looked for Stefan at school that morning to see if maybe Elijah had said something, but he hadn't been there. Elena had been though, and she'd had a lot of questions about what was going on. Caroline had attempted to play the whole thing off like it was nothing, but she knew Elena was still suspicious.

The night breeze blew her hair around as she walked and Caroline was grateful that she couldn't feel cold anymore since she hadn't bothered to put on a jacket over the blue dress she wore that wasn't exactly season appropriate. But she knew the color brought out her eyes and considering the last dress Klaus had sent her was blue; she thought maybe he liked the color. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts, mentally chastising herself for behaving this way.

She wasn't stupid. Caroline knew Klaus was dangerous and this wasn't a game they were playing, but there was a part of her, that part of her that had spent so many years being passed over in favor of someone else, usually Elena, that couldn't help but enjoy the attention. Caroline had less than zero interest in whatever it was Klaus wanted from her but that little part of her was insecure enough to appreciate the attention and she hated herself for that. She didn't want to be that jealous little girl anymore.

Besides, she had someone who loved her. Tyler. He loved her so much that he was off somewhere torturing himself so that he would be free of Klaus and his stupid, selfish sire bond. Caroline missed him every day. They'd been trading messages but she missed actually talking to him and seeing him. She missed the feel of his arms wrapped around her and as much as she enjoyed hearing him say that he loved her each time he left a message, it wasn't the same as hearing it in person.

Caroline didn't realize there were tears in her eyes until someone held a pristine white handkerchief out to her. She didn't have to look to see who had fallen in step beside her as she shook her head, refusing to take the offering as she increased her pace. Caroline didn't care that it was futile and he was just as fast – faster – than she was. He was the reason Tyler was gone; the reason she was crying in the middle of the sidewalk and she was not about to take any comfort that he had the nerve to try and give her.

"Come on, love," Klaus encouraged as he shifted from her side and planted himself in the middle of her path, walking backward when she refused to stop. He held the handkerchief out to her again. "Why the tears?" he asked.

"It's none of your business," Caroline replied. She yanked the cloth from his hand and dropped it on the ground before she reached up and brushed her tears away with her fingers. "Are you stalking me now?" she asked, trying to ignore the shame she felt at her earlier thoughts when she'd actually been disappointed he hadn't shown up at the Grill. What was wrong with her? If it wasn't for the vervain that she constantly kept in her system, Caroline might wonder if he'd somehow compelled her.

Klaus stopped walking, standing firmly in front of her so that she couldn't get past him. "Is it so hard to believe that it's a coincidence that I happen to see you passing by and thought I'd say hello? Then I saw your tears. What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Yes, it's hard to believe. Your mansion is on the other side of town and there's no reason for you to be over here unless you're up to something," Caroline said. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "What do you want? Were you following me and just waiting to swoop in and rescue me? I'm not interested."

His expression hardened and for a brief moment, Caroline wondered if she'd pushed him too far. Maybe Elijah had underestimated his interest in her and Klaus was going to show her how little he cared by snapping her neck like a twig. She swallowed hard, refusing to look away from him. Even if he was going to kill her, she was not about to give him the satisfaction of showing him fear.

But then his expression changed again and Caroline saw the same look in his eyes that she'd seen when he'd found her outside with the horse. If he were anyone else other than the murdering psychopath she knew him to be, she might consider the look on his face gentle and almost vulnerable.

"Perhaps I was looking for you to ask for another chance to let me convince you to change your mind about me. Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?" Klaus asked. "I want you to see me as something other than a monster. You said yourself that I don't try hard enough to understand people. I want to understand you, Caroline."

The way he said it made her want to believe him. It was that look in his eyes that was getting to her. Caroline reminded herself that none of this was real, but she allowed her expression to soften. "Maybe if you'd stop turning my friends into hybrids or using them as your own personal blood bank, I might be more willing to wave once in awhile when I see you at the Grill." She moved to her right to walk around him.

Klaus shifted into her path again and smiled at her. "That sounds like an opening. Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" he asked.

"No," Caroline replied. She sighed loudly, more for show than anything else. He was so arrogant but that was a good thing in this situation, she knew she could spin it in her favor. "You can't jump from one extreme to the next. That's not how this works. I'm spoken for," she reminded him. "But if you're serious about wanting to get to know people without compelling them or hurting them, I might be willing to help you with that."

He was watching her carefully and Caroline knew that he was probably trying to figure out if she was playing some sort of game with him. She kept her eyes on his so he would know that she meant what she was saying. Caroline wanted Klaus to know that there was no way she was just going to fall into his arms now or ever, but if he wanted a chance to find out what it was like to have a friend, she was willing to give him one. She seriously hoped that would be enough for him or she was going to have to tell Elijah that the plan was off.

"I still think I might change your mind, love, once you get to know the real me. But I accept your challenge," Klaus said. He held his hand out to her.

Caroline gave him a weary look but she placed her hand in his, expecting him to shake it. Instead, Klaus grasped her hand gently, his thumb brushing over her wrist as he lifted it to his lips and placed a kiss against the back of her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. She simply raised an eyebrow and pulled her hand back. "That's not the kind of thing friends do," she said.

A slow smirk crossed his face. "I don't see anything wrong with a proper gentleman greeting a lady with a kiss on the hand. It's very civilized," Klaus assured her.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it was back in the day. We've already established that you're old," Caroline said, making a face at him as she started walking again. "But you really need to come into the current century, especially if you want to spend time with me. Your wardrobe isn't too bad even if it's a little formal for Mystic Falls. However, there's no need for courting or whatever that was. We're just two people walking," she said.

"I'm not going to apologize for being well mannered," Klaus replied as he fell in step beside her again. "You're Miss Mystic Falls and it would be vulgar for me to just let you wander the streets by yourself when there are so many monsters in this town. Unlike your friend Matt, I care about your well being."

Caroline snorted as she came to a halt again, turning to face him. "You were spying on me at the Grill and then you followed me home just waiting for the right opportunity to approach me. That's exactly what I'm talking about. Friends don't do stuff like that. It's creepy and weird. Next time, I expect you to come up to me like a normal person and greet me with _words_," she stressed. "A simple 'hello' or 'how are you' will do and then we can go from there. No more jumping out of bushes."

Klaus laughed. "Now that I know you'll be receptive, I'll see what I can do, love. Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?" he asked again.

She shook her head as they started walking. "Talking to you is like talking to a wall; a really _annoying_ wall," Caroline added. "You're jumping the gun again. I'm not having dinner with you or running away to Paris or Rome or anywhere else you can think of so don't bother making suggestions. I agreed to give you a chance to get to know me on a friendly level and at this point, we're acquaintances."

"All right," Klaus agreed, clearly amused by her exasperation. "As an _acquaintance_, how was your day today? Did you find out how your chemistry test went?" he asked.

Caroline raised an eyebrow as they turned the corner that led to her street. "Acquaintances don't spy on each other's conversations," she commented. "But since you asked politely, my day was good. I had a meeting with the dance committee and some of those people have the worst ideas. Honestly, I don't know why I bother half the time. I haven't heard about the test because the teacher likes to take forever to grade things."

"Would you like me to compel him to do it faster? Or I could just make sure he gives you an A," Klaus offered.

Her mouth fell open and she turned to reprimand him and saw the big smile on her face. Caroline bit her lip, but she couldn't hold back the bubble of laughter. "Okay, that was actually funny so you get a point for that one," she said. They had reached her house and she wasn't surprised when he accompanied her up the walk to the porch. Caroline was glad her mother was working late so she wouldn't have to explain this to her.

"Science never interested me," Klaus commented. "I always preferred literature or the arts. I'd much rather pay attention to all the beauty the world has to offer than concern myself with trivial formulas and equations. Life shouldn't be lived in a lab."

"I agree," Caroline admitted softly. His eyes were on her again and she couldn't help feeling self-conscious under the intensity of his gaze. "This is the part where I'm going to say 'good night' and you're going to leave and maybe next time we see each other, you'll be better at this whole acquaintances thing. Good night," she said.

"Good night, Caroline," Klaus said. He caught her hand before she had a chance to turn and walk up the steps. "I look forward to next time." He kissed her hand again, smirking at her before he was gone.

"Cheater!" Caroline shouted just in case he was close enough to hear her. She pulled out her keys and let herself into the house, closing the door at her back and leaning heavily against it. All in all, that had gone even better than she'd hoped. Now she just needed to find a way to keep it up without Klaus figuring out what she was doing. She didn't doubt for a second that he would kill her if he learned the truth.


	3. Fuel the Blaze

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews and the story alerts! :)

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><p><strong>Title:<strong> I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17/M

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Fuel the Blaze<strong>

Caroline chewed on the corner of her lip as she stared at the message screen on her cell phone. It was still telling her that that there were no new messages; no texts, no voicemails, no emails; nothing. She tapped her nails against the keypad, tempted to send her own message. But she'd already left five voicemails over the past few days and anything more than that would clearly fall under stalker territory. She _might_ have already crossed that line but it wasn't her fault. She was worried and being worried made her act a little less rationally than normal.

It had been almost a week since she'd heard anything from Tyler. Before that, his communications hadn't exactly been like clockwork, but he'd managed to return each message that she'd left for him. He hadn't told her where he was, but he'd told her that he loved her and that he missed her and sometimes he commented on the stories she told him about school or their friends. Caroline didn't understand why it was suddenly radio silence and she was afraid something bad had happened. Maybe one of his transitions had gone wrong or he'd gotten hurt and he was alone and couldn't call for help. She hated that he was out there by himself and she was stuck there, useless.

She could hear the bell ringing inside the school and Caroline turned her head, waiting to see the students pour out of the building, happy to be finished with their last class of the day. She'd skipped hers in favor of sitting alone in the quad, beneath the giant oak tree, so she could stare at her cell phone and will it to ring or something. She knew that sounded silly and maybe class would have been a better way to spend her time, but Caroline just had too much on her mind. She couldn't deal with sitting in class listening to a boring teacher drone on and on about stuff that didn't matter.

Excited voices broke through the silence and Caroline quickly tuned them out, something she'd learned to do fairly quickly after becoming a vampire so all the noise she heard didn't drive her insane. She lifted her phone and started to type out a new text message. Before she could finish, a shadow fell over her and Caroline glanced up, expecting to see Elena or Bonnie. Instead, she saw Klaus staring down at her with that cocky smile of his that practically screamed that he knew something everyone else didn't.

"Hello, love," he said brightly. "Were you tired of school?"

Caroline glared at him. She hadn't seen or heard from him since the night he'd walked her home and that had been three days earlier. She'd done as Stefan had suggested and spent plenty of time in public, but he hadn't come near her and now he had the nerve to approach her when she was trying to get in touch with Tyler? That was _not_ okay.

"I don't see why you care about my attendance record unless of course you're here to arrest me for truancy," Caroline snapped. She knew she was being needlessly rude, but she was upset about Tyler and it was Klaus's fault that he was gone in the first place. If he hadn't experimented on him and turned him into a hybrid, none of this would be happening.

His expression remained amused and that only added to her fury. "Perhaps I came all this way just to compel your chemistry teacher for you so the least you can do is attend class," Klaus said.

She raised an eyebrow at that, not sure if he was being serious or if he was just referencing their conversation from the other night. Caroline had a feeling it was the latter and she supposed it was a good thing that he was willing to make a joke after she'd been hostile to him again. "For you information, it was my English class that I didn't go to. What are you really doing here anyway?" Caroline asked.

"I thought I was following the rules you set the other night, sweetheart," Klaus replied. He held up his hand, ticking off bullet points as he spoke. "I greeted you with a proper 'hello' and asked a simple question without trying to whisk you off to an exotic location. Was there another one I was not aware of?" he asked.

Caroline sighed, defeated. He was right. She had told him how to approach her like a friend and he had done exactly that and she'd bit his head off anyway. "I'm sorry," she said genuinely, hesitating for a moment about whether or not she should say anything else. The whole point of this was to get Klaus to trust her and keep him distracted so she might as well tell him the whole truth. "I haven't heard from Tyler for a few days and I'm worried."

Klaus didn't say anything for a moment and Caroline wondered if it had been a mistake to mention Tyler. It wasn't the first time she'd reminded him that she was spoken for and she didn't want him to forget it. But she also didn't want to make him angry when they were making progress. "He's a hybrid, love. He can take care of himself. Maybe he doesn't want to be found."

She wanted to glare at him again, but she stopped herself. For one thing, Caroline knew he might be right. It wasn't the first time Tyler had cut off all communication with her. She knew he was trying to break the sire bond and she couldn't imagine how difficult that had to be for him. Of course she couldn't tell Klaus that. Caroline also knew that Tyler being a hybrid would keep him safe, ironically. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

"I still wish he'd call," she said with a shrug, hoping Klaus would take the hint and let the subject go. It felt wrong to discuss Tyler with him for any reason. "So did you really just happen to be strolling by the school while I was sitting out here or do you have another reason for being here?" she asked.

Klaus's smile widened, but instead of answering, he turned away from her. Caroline glanced over to see what he was looking at and she saw Stefan watching them from a few feet away. "Stefan, hasn't anyone ever told you that it was rude to stare?" Klaus called.

"What are you doing here, Klaus?" Stefan ignored the other vampire's question as he moved closer to stand between Caroline and Klaus. He'd been listening to their conversation before he'd made his presence known and it sounded like Caroline had everything under control. But Stefan still didn't like Klaus showing up at the school.

"I believe I was having a conversation with the lovely lady," Klaus replied. His smile faded and he narrowed his eyes at Stefan. "Your presence is not needed here. Go away, Stefan," he commanded, his tone making it clear that it was not a request.

Caroline was tense as she got to her feet, prepared to diffuse the situation. She wasn't really sure what Stefan was playing at since he knew why she was talking to Klaus in the first place and she didn't need backup at the moment. The last thing she wanted was to draw any attention to them. She opened her mouth, but Stefan responded to Klaus before she had a chance to say anything.

"I don't take orders from you anymore, Klaus. I haven't for some time now," Stefan reminded him. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him. "You don't belong here and Caroline doesn't want anything to do with you so you should leave," he said.

"Stefan, he wasn't doing anything," Caroline blurted out. She still didn't understand why Stefan was trying to get a rise out of Klaus; especially when there were so many innocent bystanders around that he could easily hurt. She moved between the two of them, reluctantly standing closer to Klaus as she met Stefan's gaze. "I'm fine here. We were just talking."

Klaus grinned. "There you have it, Stefan," he said smugly before he turned his attention back to Caroline. "Thank you for the exquisite conversation, sweetheart," he said as he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. She raised an eyebrow, but he just smiled and kissed the back of her hand a second time. "I need to go, but I'll see you soon. Stefan," he added before he disappeared, leaving both of them blinking in surprise.

"He's dangerous, Caroline," Stefan said. He took a step closer to her and lowered his voice. "I don't know what kind of game he's playing with you, but you're going to get hurt." Stefan thought Klaus had backed down and walked away a little too easily. He wouldn't put it past him to still be nearby, listening to what they had to say.

"Are you really hanging out with Klaus? Caroline, have you lost your mind?" Bonnie asked as she made her way toward them, clutching her books to her chest. She gave Caroline an expectant look.

"We were just talking," Caroline replied defensively, finally understanding what Stefan had been trying to do. She assumed Bonnie was doing the same thing or maybe she was just generally confused. Caroline wasn't sure how much of the plan she knew. But it made sense that her friends would be worried about her if she suddenly started having conversations with Klaus like he wasn't an unrepentant murderer.

"Why?" Bonnie demanded incredulously. "Why would you give him so much as the time of day after everything he's done? Did you stop taking your vervain?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed as she searched Caroline's face for some sign of compulsion.

"Of course not," Caroline snapped. She bent down to pick up her bag from the ground, hoisted it over her shoulder and glared at both of them. "He stopped to talk to me and I was polite to him. What's wrong with that? Isn't that what the council's doing? Maybe if we gave him a chance, he wouldn't be angry all the time and we could have some peace in this town for once." She rolled her eyes and stomped off toward the parking lot. Out of the corner of her eye, Caroline saw a hint of movement across the campus and swallowed hard. It looked like Klaus had been listening after all.

Stefan saw him as well and waited a full minute before turning back to Bonnie and giving her a slight nod. She'd confided in him earlier that Elijah had briefed her and her mother on the basics of the plan and he was impressed that she'd caught onto what he'd been trying to do. He'd known Klaus would stick around to see what they had to say after he was gone. He hoped it was enough to convince him that Caroline was being genuine.

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><p>Caroline wasn't entirely sure what had possessed her to start spending time at Fell's Tomb of all places, but she'd found herself doing it a lot ever since the night her friends had brought her there for her 'funeral.' It was morbid in more ways than just the obvious fact that it was a tomb in the middle of a cemetery and there were dead people everywhere. Then again, she was dead too so maybe that was part of the appeal. But it wasn't like the night or the tomb was filled with good memories for her. That had been the night Klaus had made Tyler bite her, the night he'd turned around and saved her and sent them onto this strange course they were currently navigating.<p>

It was quiet there though and Caroline knew it wasn't someplace any of her friends would ever think of looking for her so it was perfect for getting lost for a little while. Even though she was a vampire, Caroline still didn't feel safe going in the tomb by herself so she normally just sat outside the door, sometimes for hours, other times for only a few minutes. All she wanted was a little time to herself to clear her head.

Her mind often drifted to all the people she knew who were there, most dead way before their time. Her father was buried in the cemetery, just like Tyler's father and Elena's parents. Jenna and John Gilbert were buried there too. Caroline never visited any of their graves. It felt wrong that she was dead but still among the living and they were just _dead_. She felt bad about that, guilty, even though it wasn't her fault and it wasn't like there was something she could do to change it. Caroline hated that her thoughts were so morbid. She missed being happy, sunshine Caroline, but it was getting harder and harder to look at the positive and find something to smile about.

The sound of footsteps broke through her thoughts and Caroline was on her feet in an instant, ready to run away as fast as her vampire speed would take her. But then she saw Klaus standing there and he looked every bit as surprised to see her as she was to see him so she remained where she was. "You startled me," Caroline admitted quietly.

"I could say the same thing, sweetheart," Klaus replied. He was standing next to her in less than a fraction of a second and Caroline very nearly took a step back. But she fought the automatic urge to put distance between them since it went against her agenda to get him to trust her.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked. "I know you're not visiting any relatives since yours are all running around." She knew that wasn't entirely true; his father was dead and so were two of his siblings, if she remembered the story correctly, which she knew she did. Caroline might not have the same passion for history that Alaric did or even Stefan, but she tended to pay attention when people were talking about the oldest vampires and how dangerous they were.

"None of my family is buried here," Klaus confirmed. His gaze shifted away from her, but not before Caroline saw a hint of something in his eyes, wistfulness, almost. She couldn't help the twinge of guilt she felt in her chest for bringing up a sensitive issue. But Klaus's gaze returned to hers after a moment and she didn't see anything different in his eyes, just the usual arrogance and amusement. "Are you visiting your father?" he asked.

"No," Caroline replied quickly. He just continued to watch her, not saying anything and after another minute, she couldn't stand the silence any longer. "My friends had a funeral for me here once. On my birthday," she added pointedly, wanting him to understand the significance even though she doubted he would care just how much he had ruined her life that night. "I've been coming here since then. I know it's weird."

Klaus looked at her for a long moment and then shook his head. "It's not weird if it gives you peace, love. You might not understand it now, but in a few hundred years or so, you'll treasure moments of quiet reflection. It's not about the setting itself but what you can discover from it," he said.

Caroline was taken aback by just how insightful his response was and she had to remind herself once more not to let her guard down. Klaus could spout off on philosophy or psychology or whatever the hell it was all he wanted, but he was still the bad guy. She chose her words carefully so she didn't share too much of herself with him. "I'm not the person I was before I turned. But I'm not an entirely new person either. I don't know how to deal with being caught in between."

"Practice," Klaus replied simply and she nearly rolled her eyes. He held up his hand, letting her know that he wasn't finished yet. "Some days are always going to be harder than others. The past can be seductive and we want to hold onto that feeling, but sometimes it's not possible and it's better to just let it go. There's a whole world out there," he reminded her.

She remembered the first time he'd said that to her; the night he'd come into her room and asked her whether she wanted to live or if he should just let her die. He'd listed all the beautiful things the world had to offer and he'd made her feel like she should see them, like she _needed_ to see them. He'd said something else to her that night too and she wondered if he'd meant it. "Have you really thought about ending it all?" Caroline asked curiously.

It easily could have been a line that he'd fed her so she would feel some sort of comradery with him. Caroline did find it hard to believe that someone like him, someone who was so power hungry and determined to be the strongest immortal, would even be willing to entertain the possibility of ending his life, let alone actually following through with it.

"Is it so hard to believe that over the centuries I've faced days where I didn't want to go on?" Klaus asked. Caroline saw that look in his eyes again, the wistful one, and she wondered if maybe he really was telling the truth.

"But you're the Original hybrid," Caroline pointed out. "I thought this was what you wanted. Why would you think about the alternative?" She wasn't sure why she couldn't use the word. They were standing in a cemetery and they were both vampires and she still felt weird about saying the word 'death' out loud. It wasn't like she was going to jinx them somehow. Maybe there was a lot more of the old Caroline in her than she thought.

Klaus was quiet again but Caroline forced herself not to break the silence. She really wanted to hear his answer. After a few moments, he met her gaze and there was a serious look in his eyes that she wasn't quite sure what to do with. "The world can be a lonely place, love. There have been times over the years where I wanted to go back to the way things had been before we were turned. Other times, I wanted to forget those days existed at all. But if I would have given into the urge to stop living, I never would have met you."

She could see that he was deflecting. He'd answered her question more honestly than she'd expected him to but then he'd tried to turn it around and flirt with her, probably hoping that she'd get annoyed and remind him she was spoken for so they could change the subject. Caroline wasn't going to do that. "Why did you keep daggers in your siblings' hearts for all those years if you didn't want to be alone? I know you carried them with you everywhere."

"I had my reasons," Klaus replied. His tone indicated that was all he was going to say on the matter and Caroline wanted to ask more questions, but she knew better than to press her luck. If she pushed Klaus too hard, he could turn on her and all of this would be a waste of time. Or he would kill her and that certainly wasn't going to help anyone, least of all her.

"Well at least you had siblings," Caroline said. "I was an only child. But I liked being an only child. I liked the attention," she admitted, sending a sheepish smile in his direction. She'd never been one of those kids who wished for siblings, even after her parents' marriage had fallen apart. She had plenty of friends and somehow that had always been better than family. Caroline wondered if Klaus had ever had friends that he hadn't created to serve him. "Do you have friends? I mean, have you had friends over the years?"

"You mean besides you, love?" Klaus replied, clearly amused by her question. "I've had people who have helped me and those who have pledged their loyalty to me. That always comes in handy," he added, smirking.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "That's not what I mean and you know it," she told him bluntly. "Have you ever tried to be friends with someone without threatening them or killing their family or compelling them?" She saw a flash of something in his eyes and she knew she may have overstepped, but she wasn't going to back down. "Maybe if you gave that a shot, you wouldn't be so…" Her voice trailed off and she motioned toward him with her hand.

Klaus laughed. "Thank you for the advice. I suppose I can see if Damon or Ric are free for drinks tomorrow afternoon. They'll probably both be at the Grill so I'll just head there and shoot the breeze with them. It'll be smashing," he said.

She made a face at his sarcastic tone. "Maybe if you weren't always trying to kill them or take over their bodies, they'd be more likely to have a drink with you instead of trying to find new ways to kill you." Caroline shrugged as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep the smile off her face. "It's really all about the approach."

"I'd rather have a drink with you," Klaus told her as the serious expression returned to his face. But she saw something else there too, something almost vulnerable and she wasn't sure what to make of it. The little voice inside her head reminded her that Klaus was a murderer and murderers weren't vulnerable, but Caroline recognized the opportunity that was presenting itself.

"Maybe," Caroline said. She held up her hand when she saw him open his mouth. "I'm not finished. _Maybe_ I'll have a drink with you or even a meal, but only as potential acquaintances and you have to promise not to threaten me or any of my friends while we're together. Deal?" she asked, holding out her hand to him.

"Deal," Klaus agreed. He smiled at her as he brought her hand to his lips. His mouth lingered against her skin far longer than what was polite, but Caroline decided to let it slide. For a chance meeting in a cemetery, this whole thing had gone a lot better than she would have expected.

"I need to get home," Caroline said. She started to pull her hand back from him, but Klaus simply tightened his grip and yanked her toward him. She let out a startled gasp as the world passed by in a whirlwind and then she was standing on her front porch and Klaus was a few feet away on the sidewalk. "What the hell was that?" she demanded. Caroline was trying for anger, but she was too flustered to pull it off.

"That was me making your life a little easier. Good night, sweetheart," Klaus replied. He sent her a smug smile and then he was gone. Caroline let out an annoyed noise and made her way into the house, slamming the door harder than necessary behind her.

That certainly hadn't been what Caroline was expecting. She actually felt like she'd seen a different side of Klaus, maybe even a glimpse of the _real_ Klaus, the man he'd been before he'd turned. She couldn't help feeling sorry for that man; he'd had potential and maybe things would have been different for him if he'd had a chance to get away from his father and actually become someone instead of living his entire life blinded by hatred and revenge.

Caroline bit down on her lip as she realized what she was doing. She was feeling bad for Klaus and trying to justify his actions. She knew better than that. Caroline could not allow herself to go down this road where she felt sorry for him. It didn't matter if he had a softer side or that he might have been a different person if his circumstances had changed. That was true for anyone, but Klaus was dangerous and she couldn't risk letting her guard down for any reason. Everyone was depending on her to follow through with this and that was exactly what she was going to do.

She was halfway up the stairs to her room when there was a knock on the door. Caroline paused on the steps, wondering if Klaus had come back. She doubted he would bother knocking given his preference for sneaking in and leaving things in her room. Caroline went back down the stairs, crossed the living room to the door and gasped when she saw who was on the other side. Caroline hurriedly pulled it open, unable to keep the excited smile off her face.

"Tyler!"


	4. Fight Fire with Fire

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews and the story alerts! :)

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><p><strong>Title:<strong> I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17/M

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Fight Fire with Fire<strong>

"Tyler!" Caroline cried again as she flung her arms around his neck with a force that would have knocked a human down. "I can't believe you're here. Are you okay? What are you doing here? Why didn't you call me? I was worried. I'm so glad you're back." The words flew out of her mouth as she held onto him tighter, grateful that he was there with her.

He laughed at her exuberance even as he wrapped his arms around her and held her just as tight. "That's a lot of questions. Yes, I'm okay. I'm back because I live in this town and I'm happy to be home. The reason I didn't call was because I wanted to surprise you. Mission accomplished," Tyler teased.

Caroline reluctantly pulled back from the hug so she could look at him. Physically, he looked okay. She didn't see any signs of injury and Caroline realized she probably wouldn't because he was a vampire and had the same healing capabilities that she did. But he wasn't just a vampire. He was a hybrid and he had left town for a reason.

"Did it work? Are you…?" She wasn't sure what the right word would be. Nervousness coursed through her veins and she knew that if her heart still beat, it would be pounding uncontrollably as she waited for him to answer. "…free from Klaus?" she asked even though she didn't doubt for a second that he knew that question she'd been trying to ask.

"Can I come inside?" Tyler asked. He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "There are some things I want to talk to you about and it would be better to do it inside," he said.

She nodded even though she didn't like the sound of that. But Caroline couldn't help thinking that Tyler looked a lot more relaxed than the last time she had seen him and she hoped that was a good sign. She tugged on his hand, pulling him into the house and closing the door behind him. Caroline started to lead him toward the stairs and then changed her mind and pulled him into the living room instead.

"My mom is working late," she said as she took a seat on the couch and waited for him to sit down beside her. "Did it work?" she asked anxiously. "Did you break the bond?" Caroline needed to know if at least one thing in their lives was going to be back to normal.

"Your dad was right," Tyler replied. He kept her hand in his as he sat down. "I had to learn to make myself change at will. It was terrible," he said flatly, not sugarcoating anything. "It hurt like hell and I hated losing control. But after awhile I got the hang of it and I finally got to the point where I could turn at will." He smiled at her, his grip on her hand tightening. "I can do it, Caroline. I can be a werewolf when I want to or I never have to change again. But it's my choice now. _Mine_," he stressed.

Relief washed over her and Caroline threw her arms around him again, knocking him back against the couch. "Tyler, that's amazing. I knew you could do it. I knew you'd find a way to be stronger than him." Her chest was tight with emotion and she buried her face in his shoulder, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. This was a good thing. Tyler was free and that meant Klaus couldn't use him to hurt anyone else ever again.

The thought reminded Caroline that she'd just been with Klaus less than five minutes before Tyler had knocked on her door. What if he'd seen the two of them together? Guilt tightened in her chest even though she knew she wasn't doing anything wrong. She was spending time with Klaus so that she could give Elijah and the witches time to find a way to kill him. Then he'd really be out of their lives and she wouldn't have to worry about him going after Tyler or her other friends. It was a means to an end.

She pushed the thought aside as she lifted her head from Tyler's shoulder and met his gaze. "This means you're back to stay, right?" Caroline asked hopefully. She understood why he'd had to leave, but she didn't want to go through that again. She'd missed him too much and she'd been so worried. He belonged in Mystic Falls and he belonged with her.

"I'm staying," Tyler confirmed. He grinned at her as he slid one of his hands into her hair. "I missed you so much, Caroline. I'm sorry I didn't call more but it was hard. The transitions were exhausting and I was angry that it was taking so long. I didn't know if it would work and I didn't want to get your hopes up in case it didn't," he said.

Caroline shook her head. "You don't have to apologize, Tyler. I get it and I'm really proud of you for doing this. I know you were excited about never having to change and I know I reacted badly to you being a hybrid, but that was only because I care about you so much." She knew she'd hurt his feelings when she'd pushed him away and she knew that he'd felt terrible after Klaus had forced him to bite her. But Caroline wanted to put all of that in the past and move forward. He was back and everything was going to be okay now.

His grin faded, his expression turning sober. "Caroline, I was wrong," Tyler said. "You warned me about Klaus and you told me that something bad was going to happen but I was arrogant and felt invincible. It's a mistake I've made before too," he admitted quietly. I'm sorry I hurt you." His hand left her hair and moved to her neck, brushing against the spot where he'd sunk his teeth into her.

"Don't," Caroline said. She recognized that look on his face and she didn't want to see him beating himself up over the guilt. "I'm fine, Tyler, and now you're better too. It doesn't matter what happened before. You're here, I'm here and everything is okay now." She hesitated, her teeth biting into her bottom lip. "Unless something else has changed," she said, her voice trailing off uncertainly. She knew Tyler had had a lot of time to think and maybe he'd decided that he wasn't interested in being with her anymore.

"Nothing has changed," Tyler said firmly. He held her gaze for a moment, wanting her to see that he was serious. "I love you, Caroline, and all I want is to be with you. I know I've screwed up a lot and I'm not just talking about the bite," he said. "But if you give me another chance, I promise to make it all up to you. I know things aren't going to be fixed overnight, but I'm willing to do anything to make it happen."

Warmth filled her chest as she leaned into him, resting her forehead against his. "Tyler, I never stopped caring about you, not for one second. I hated that you had to leave and I hated that this happened to you, to us. I'm so happy that you're back. All I want is to be with you too," she said softly.

Tyler grinned. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that." He covered her mouth with his, kissing her softly. "I missed you so much," he whispered against her lips.

"I missed you too," Caroline said. She shifted even closer to him, pressing her upper body against his. "I was scared you wouldn't come back and I just kept checking my phone hoping that you would call or something. When my dad died," she paused, her voice faltering. "I needed you so much and it meant everything to me that you called even though you were doing your own thing."

His grip on her tightened and he pressed another kiss to her lips. "I wanted to come home then but I knew that breaking the bond was the one thing I could do to make things better for you. I'm not going to leave again, Caroline," Tyler said firmly.

"Good," Caroline replied. She smiled at him and nodded her head in the direction of the stairs. "Do you want to stay?" she asked.

"Do I want to?" Tyler repeated. "Yes, but I'm not going to because I've got to earn the overnights," he teased, winking at her as he got to his feet. "I need to let my mom know I'm back. But I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Caroline arched an eyebrow. "Did you just turn down sex? Who are you and what have you done with Tyler?" she mocked.

He laughed and pulled her off the couch and into his arms. "I'm the guy who is going to be worthy of you." Tyler dipped his head and kissed her again, drawing it out as his lips moved slowly over hers. "I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline."

"Tomorrow," she whispered in agreement.

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><p>Caroline felt like she had a permanent smile on her face when she walked in the Grill the next day with Tyler's hand in hers. They'd just come from school and she couldn't have asked for the day to have gone any better. He'd been waiting for her when she'd gotten to school that morning and she'd practically burst with happiness when he'd slipped his arm around her and offered to walk her to her first class. They'd both ended up being late since they'd stopped to talk to Elena, Bonnie and Matt, but it had been worth the dirty look her teacher had shot in her direction.<p>

Everyone had been surprised to see Tyler and they'd been stunned to hear that he'd broken the sire bond. As soon as the initial shock had worn off, they'd all congratulated him and welcomed him back. All of their friends had seemed genuinely happy and they'd joked about school and homework and for the first time in ages, she had felt like a normal teenager again.

"Can you believe Ric was the only teacher who actually told me that I had to make up my assignments?" Tyler asked, appalled, as they sat down at a table near the bar.

Caroline laughed. "That's because he's the only one you can't compel," she pointed out knowingly. She didn't really blame Tyler for that. Teachers asked a lot of questions when kids stopped showing up to class for weeks at a time and then randomly reappeared without any explanation. She might have used the tactic herself once or twice and it was hard to feel guilty. It wasn't like any of them were blowing off class to go shopping or hang out at the Grill. These were life and death matters.

"Guilty," Tyler admitted sheepishly. "But in my defense, I tried throwing around the reminder that my mother is the mayor first and when that didn't work…" His voice trailed off and he shrugged as he reached for the menus, passing one to Caroline.

She laughed again and shook her head as she flipped the menu open. Caroline wasn't sure why she bothered; she'd had the thing memorized since she'd learned to read. "Well at least you'll only have history homework to worry about. I can help you if you want," she offered. Caroline would gladly sit by his side and do homework for hours. She couldn't get over how good it felt to just be having a normal conversation about something simple and not life altering.

"Thanks, Caroline, but I've got it," Tyler said. He set down the menu and reached for the glass of water beside his plate. "So tell me what I've missed. Are there any new monsters in town that we need to worry about besides Klaus?" he asked.

Her eyes widened. Tyler had been gone for so long that he didn't know the Original family had expanded. Caroline had been careful not to mention anything in the messages that he'd left him that might upset him or interrupt his progress. Now that he was back, she'd been too busy enjoying having him around to bring the mood down by discussing the Originals. But Tyler needed to know what they were up against.

"There are more Originals," Caroline said, keeping her voice low. "Damon took Elijah's dagger out and then he woke up the rest of the siblings. In addition to Rebekah, there are two brothers, Kol and Finn. There's also their mother, the Original witch." She quickly filled him in on the spell Bonnie and her mother had performed and she told him about the party, leaving out a lot of details like Klaus's strange obsession with her and Esther's plans to kill her children. She also didn't tell him about what Elijah was planning.

"Wow," Tyler muttered when she was finished. "There's never a dull moment in this town, is there?" He leaned back in his seat, trying to absorb everything that she had just told him. "So basically Bonnie's mom is back after all these years and the town is overrun with dangerous, old vampires and a witch. Good to know," he said.

Caroline nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I thought it would be nice to just talk about normal things like school and homework and whether or not it's okay to compel your teachers," she joked. Her mind briefly drifted to Klaus and his offer to compel her chemistry teacher, but she pushed it aside. It wasn't the same thing. He was just trying to show off the power he had over people. It wasn't impressive.

Tyler laughed. "It's okay, Caroline. I get it and I appreciate you trying to keep things normal." He reached across the table and took her hand. "I think normal sounds good. Do you know what you want to order?" he asked as he glanced around to try and flag down one of the waiters. Instead, his eyes fell on a familiar face standing in the doorway and his hand automatically tightened around Caroline's.

She looked up, wondering what was wrong and then she spotted Klaus before she had a chance to ask. He was hovering near the doorway, watching them and she couldn't read the expression on his face but Caroline was suddenly terrified. She wondered if there was any chance that he would just turn around and leave or if he would ignore them, but she knew that wasn't his style. She swallowed hard when he stepped forward and she reminded herself that Esther had forbidden her children from harming anyone. Caroline didn't really believe that would stop Klaus, but she hoped he wouldn't cause a scene.

"Tyler," Klaus greeted him, clapping a hand over his shoulder. "When did you get back to town?" he asked.

"Yesterday," Tyler replied. His voice was cold as he stared up at Klaus with narrowed eyes. Caroline wanted to tell him to just ignore Klaus and not say anything, but she knew it wasn't her place to speak for him. He was still gripping her hand hard and she rubbed her thumb over his. Tyler broke his staring contest with Klaus and glanced at her for a long moment before his gaze shifted to Klaus again. "We're in the middle of something so if you could just move along, that would be great."

If Caroline had still been human, she would have been holding her breath as she waited for Klaus to respond. On the one hand, she was proud of Tyler for showing the Original hybrid that he was his own person again and he didn't have to follow his orders. But on the other, she was scared for Tyler. If Klaus realized that he wasn't under his control, he could easily decide to tear his heart out just to teach him a lesson. She could feel the tension rising in the air and she opened her mouth to try and defuse it, but Tyler spoke before she could.

"I know what you're doing," he told Klaus. "I can practically see you trying to think of something you could order me to do like when you made me bite Caroline. Guess what? I'm not your pet anymore," Tyler sneered. "You tried to ruin my life and then acted like you were doing me a favor. Those days are over."

Klaus arched an eyebrow, amusement in his eyes as he glanced at Caroline briefly before meeting Tyler's stubborn gaze. "Is that so?" he asked. "Are you really sitting here telling me that you're ungrateful for the immortality that I gave you? You're almost as bad as Stefan," he said, disgusted.

Tyler glared at him. "Don't act like you did any of this for me," he retorted. "You used me as an experiment to see if you could figure out how Elena's blood would work for you. Then you had me hurt Caroline and almost get Jeremy killed when I took away his vervain. Again, that was all for your sick pleasure. But I'm free of you now and you're never going to control me again."

Caroline watched Klaus carefully. She could see that he was angry and she knew he could kill Tyler without even blinking. She knew that even if he didn't do anything now, he might just wait for another opportunity to hurt Tyler. She cleared her throat and Klaus's gaze drifted toward her. "Do you mind leaving us alone?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady and hide the nerves that were fluttering in her stomach. "Tyler and I haven't seen each other for a long time and we want to be alone."

A small smile played across Klaus's face and he nodded. "My apologies, sweetheart," he said. "Enjoy your afternoon," he added, sending another cold look in Tyler's direction before he turned and headed for the door.

Tyler's mouth dropped open as he stared at Caroline across the table. "What was that?" he asked. "How did you manage to get him to leave?"

She shrugged; trying to play it off like it was no big deal even though Caroline knew that it was. "I was at that party where his mother made her speech about her family just wanting to fit in. I'm sure he just took that as a hint," Caroline said. "Where is the waiter?" She really hoped Tyler would accept the abrupt subject change and just move on. She couldn't get into it with him about why Klaus had listened to her. She also couldn't tell him that she was going to have to talk to the Original hybrid alone and make sure that he sparing Tyler wasn't just a onetime thing.

Caroline didn't want to think about what she was going to have to offer him in return.

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><p>After spending the rest of the afternoon and most of the night with Tyler, Caroline kissed him goodbye on her front porch, smiling as she watched him get back in his car and wave to her. She waved back and let herself into the house, letting out a small sigh before she moved out the back door and broke into a run. A few minutes later, she found herself standing at the bottom of the driveway that led to the Originals' mansion.<p>

Caroline had no idea what she was going to say to Klaus. She felt like she needed to thank him, but at the same time the very idea made her irrationally angry. Why the hell should she thank him for not killing someone? It was normal not to kill people. Of course, he'd already killed Tyler the day he turned him into a hybrid. But that was neither here nor there. She sighed again and marched up the driveway to the porch and rang the doorbell before she could change her mind.

A maid who had clearly been compelled opened the door. Caroline smiled at her anyway; she was a firm believer in good manners and the woman had clearly suffered already. "Is Klaus here?" she asked.

"I am." Klaus appeared in the foyer before the maid had a chance to respond. "Please come in, love. Would you like a drink?" he asked.

She barely resisted the urge to glare at him. It was obvious that he'd been expecting her and Caroline found herself getting angry all over again. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she couldn't afford to alienate Klaus for a lot of reasons, but mainly because Tyler's safety was at stake. "I don't want a drink, thank you. I just want to talk to you."

Klaus smiled in a way that made him look incredibly pleased with himself. "All right, love," he said as he gestured for her to follow him into the den. He motioned for her to have a seat on the couch near the fireplace as he poured himself a glass of brandy. "What would you like to discuss?" he asked.

"Tyler," Caroline replied without hesitation. She ignored his invitation to sit, choosing to stand instead as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I know you're angry with him, but I don't want you to hurt him. He's already been through enough and breaking the bond was a big deal for him. You can't torture him and you can't kill him. I need your word," she said.

"Sweetheart, how can you think so little of me?" Klaus asked. He took a sip of his drink and motioned toward the couch again, raising an eyebrow when she still refused to sit down. "All right, if you want to stand, stand," he said as he took the seat himself. "I won't kill Tyler as long as he doesn't give me any reason to be angry at him."

Caroline shook her head. "That's not good enough," she replied. She knew it wouldn't take much for Klaus to go after Tyler. He might get bored or he might hate the color of the sky one day. It didn't matter. She was not going to let anything happen to Tyler. "I want your word as my friend that you will not hurt him. I'm asking you for this one thing," she said pleadingly.

Klaus lifted his glass to his lips, taking a long sip as he watched her. "Do you realize the enormity of what you're asking me, sweetheart? You know how I feel about you and Tyler is in my way. I don't like things that are in my way," he said simply.

That was exactly what she was afraid of. But Caroline was not about to tell him that. She squared her shoulders and forced herself to press on. "I won't be your friend if you hurt Tyler. I won't even be your acquaintance. I'll just hate you forever and ever. Is that what you want?" she asked.

"Careful, Caroline," Klaus warned. She heard the familiar danger in his tone and she swallowed hard, but she remained where she was, refusing to back down. She wanted his word and she wasn't leaving until she got it. He continued to watch her and she held her ground, staring right back at him despite the fear that was curling in her stomach. After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded.

"All right," Klaus consented. "I will guarantee that no harm will come to Tyler from me. But this is the one and only time you can ask me for something for someone else. However, if you need something, just tell me and it's yours, love."

"Thank you," Caroline replied sincerely. She knew he could have made things a lot more difficult for her and she was grateful he was willing to give her what she wanted without asking for anything extreme in return. "I need to get home or my mom will worry." She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should push her luck. "I appreciate you doing this for me. It's something a friend would do."

Klaus smiled at her and for the first time since she'd arrived, Caroline felt like it was a genuine one. "Does that mean I've graduated from the acquaintance status?" he asked.

She nodded. "You have. But don't let it go to your head. The doorways here aren't that big," Caroline pointed out. He started laughing and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. Maybe if Klaus was like this more often, he wouldn't have to go around murdering people to get his way. Caroline knew better than to say that though. "I'll see myself out," she said.

He nodded. "Have a good night, sweetheart. I'm sure we'll see each other soon," Klaus added.

"You too," Caroline replied. She made her way out of the room and through the foyer, sending another smile to the maid who was waiting to open the door for her. As soon as she was outside, Caroline sighed with relief. That could have gone a lot worse and she was going to take it for the win it was. Tyler was safe and Klaus wasn't angry with her. There was a chance she'd still be able to pull this whole thing off after all.

Caroline walked quickly down the driveway and when she reached the sidewalk, she was prepared to break into a run so she could get home faster, but a pair of strong arms closed around her before she had a chance. She was lifted off her feet sprinted away, not giving her a chance to so much as open her mouth and scream for help.


	5. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

**Title:** I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17/M

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes<strong>

The sprinting only lasted a matter of seconds and then the person holding her released her just as quickly as she'd been grabbed. Caroline spun around, prepared to fight her attacker and she stumbled back in surprise when she saw Elijah. He stood there looking as composed as ever, like he hadn't just kidnapped her and nearly scared her to death. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Elijah raised an eyebrow, but his expression remained otherwise impassive. "That would require your heart to still be beating," he pointed out.

"Was that an attempt at a joke?" Caroline asked, flustered and confused as she tried to figure out what was going on. The Original made Stefan seem downright hilarious. "Is there a reason you felt like kidnapping me and scaring me to death? Or to a second death?" she corrected herself before he took another stab at humor. She glanced around, attempting to get her bearings. Caroline realized they were in the woods near the entrance to the tunnels on the Lockwood property.

She had no idea why Elijah would bring her there. Then again, she didn't understand why he had taken her in the first place. Caroline looked at him expectantly and he simply stared back at her in return like he was trying to read her thoughts or something. She briefly wondered if he could actually do that and she shifted uncomfortably. "Well?" she asked impatiently.

"I am sorry for scaring you; that was not my intention," Elijah said. He slipped his hands into the pocket of his suit and his eyes shifted to something in the distance before he turned his gaze back to her. "I wanted to speak with you and I did not want to run the risk that Niklaus might overhear our conversation. I also thought it would be wise not to return to your home."

"Okay," Caroline said. She really didn't like the sound of that. She wished she could read Elijah's expression. It felt like he was mad at her even though his tone gave no indication that he was. But she couldn't imagine why else he'd felt the need to drag her away just to talk to her. She chewed on the corner of her lip, wishing he didn't have the best poker face ever. "So what's on your mind?" she asked.

"I've heard that Tyler Lockwood has returned to Mystic Falls and that he's broken his sire bond to Niklaus," Elijah replied. He was still watching her carefully and Caroline's brow furrowed in confusion as she wondered why he cared about Tyler. "The two of you have a relationship, correct?" he asked.

"Correct," Caroline confirmed, unable to keep the hint of defensiveness out of her tone. "You're the one who told me I didn't have to pretend to be interested in Klaus. So what difference does it make if Tyler is back?" She knew Elena trusted Elijah and he was the noble type so she doubted that he was going to hurt Tyler. But Caroline had already made one deal to protect his life and if she had to, she would gladly make another one.

Elijah sighed and Caroline realized that was the most emotion she'd ever seen him show. She paused; did a sigh count as emotion? She decided it did as Elijah started talking again. "The only potential difference it might make is if Tyler gets in your way when it comes to keeping Niklaus distracted. Bonnie and the others think they might be onto something, but they're going to need time. I want to make sure you're still committed to this plan," he said.

"Of course I am," Caroline replied. She didn't know how he could think otherwise. "Tyler might be free of Klaus's creepy brainwashing but that doesn't mean he won't hurt someone else I care about." She knew that was what Klaus had been hinting at when he'd warned her that she could only ask him one time to save someone else. He wasn't going to hurt her and he wasn't going to hurt Tyler, but there were still plenty of other innocent people whose lives he could and would destroy if given the chance.

Elijah nodded and Caroline assumed that meant he was pleased with her answer. She didn't understand why he had to be so cryptic about everything. She made a mental note to ask Elena if she'd had this problem with him too. "Besides," Caroline continued, not giving him a chance to speak, "If Klaus finds out that I was part of a plan to bring him down, he could still come after me or he could hurt Tyler." The thought troubled her and she reminded herself once again that this was why she'd agreed to the plan. It was risky, but it would be worth it if it got Klaus out of their lives for good.

"Will you be able to continue to get close to Niklaus without arousing Tyler's suspicions?" Elijah asked. He was doing that thing again where he was watching her so closely that Caroline felt like he was trying to get inside her head. She ignored the urge to shift uncomfortably, too focused on the very real issue Elijah had just brought up.

Caroline had felt guilty when she'd been with Tyler and her thoughts had drifted to Klaus and they time they'd spent together. She knew she wasn't _technically_ doing anything wrong, but she also knew Tyler wouldn't like it and he might be hurt when he found out about it. There was a reason she had waited until he'd left before she'd gone to see Klaus. She swallowed hard, guilt churning in her stomach. She didn't want to hurt Tyler and there was an easy enough solution to her issue.

"I'll just tell him what's going on," she said. Tyler still wouldn't like it, but Caroline knew she could make him understand why she was doing it. "That way there will be less chances that Tyler might provoke Klaus or vice versa."

Elijah shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "That is an unnecessary risk. There is no guarantee that the sire bond is truly broken and we cannot take the chance that Tyler might be spying for Niklaus. You must not tell him or anyone else about our plan. Our original agreement must be upheld."

Caroline frowned. She wanted to argue with him, but as much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right. Tyler had thought he was free of the bond once before and then he'd bit her on Klaus's instructions. It wasn't out of the question that he might still be under Klaus's control. Her chest tightened painfully at the thought. "Do you think it's possible he broke the bond? He said he can turn at will," she added, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I do believe it's possible," Elijah said. "Free will is a powerful tool, but you have to understand why it's not a certainty and we cannot take the chance in case he has loyalty to Niklaus that is still untapped. Can I trust that you will keep your word?" he asked.

Caroline nodded and she could see that wasn't enough. Elijah wanted to hear the words. "Yes, you can trust me, Elijah. I won't say anything to Tyler and I'm going to keep doing what I can to distract Klaus. But I'd really appreciate it if you didn't scare me anymore. Deal?" she asked.

A hint of a smile crossed his face before it was gone. "Deal," Elijah agreed and he surprised Caroline by holding his hand out to her to shake on it. "I will let you know if and when the plan changes. Would you like me to escort you home?" he asked.

"That won't be necessary," Caroline said. "I won't let you or anyone else down," she told him. Caroline was determined to see the plan through until the witches found a way to get Klaus out of their lives forever. She'd come this far and she wasn't going to back down.

* * *

><p>"What do you think of this one?"<p>

Caroline glanced up from the binder she'd been flipping through to see the flyer that Tyler had just finished drawing. The two of them were sitting on the couch in her living room, working on preparations for the dance that was coming up in a few weeks. Caroline had been so busy lately that she'd neglected them and now she was desperate to get everything done on time. It was her job to make sure everything was perfect even if there were more important things going on. She had a reputation to uphold as head of the dance committee.

She held out her hand for the flyer, wanting to take a closer look as she inspected the lettering and the pictures. "I like the drawings but I'm not sure about the paper or the colors," she said thoughtfully as she tried to imagine it with bold lettering and on colored paper instead of the white one Tyler had used.

He raised an eyebrow at her as she continued to study the piece of paper like it was a matter of life and death. "Caroline, it's a flyer," Tyler pointed out. "People are going to take one look at it, commit the date and time to their phone calendars, and toss it aside. It doesn't have to be perfect," he said.

Her mouth fell open and she narrowed her eyes at him. "How can you say that it doesn't have to be perfect?" Caroline cried. "Tyler, this is one of the last dances we will ever have as seniors and it's my job to make sure everything is flawless. In twenty years, people are still going to talk about this dance and how epic it was and do you really want them to remember poorly designed flyers?" she asked, appalled.

Tyler laughed. "Caroline, there's a dance every other week at this school and they usually end in some kind of disaster," he reminded her. "But even if we forget about that, do you really think this will be the last high school dance we ever have to do this for? Something tells me we're still going to be doing this in twenty years and you'll be sitting there telling me how epic _that_ dance is going to be." He shook his head, a smile on his face as he grabbed another piece of construction paper from the coffee table and started drawing a new sign.

Caroline had had every intention of telling him that he was wrong, but his words made her pause. Was he right? Were they going to be sitting around in twenty years making signs for a school dance? They were both going to be seniors in high school for the rest of the immortal lives, but would they actually be in school _forever_? She hadn't really thought about it aside from the mini meltdown she'd had on her birthday. But she was always going to be seventeen and it was going to be hard to be anything other than a high school student.

"Is that what you want?" she asked. "I mean, I know you hate making signs and stuff, but do you really think we're just going to keep going through our senior year of high school again and again for eternity?'

Tyler shrugged. "I'm not really sure," he said, tapping his pencil absently against the paper in his hand. "I doubt anyone wants to be a high school student for eternity, but if we want to blend in to wherever we are, we probably have to. We could pass for college kids too so we have some leeway, but high school is probably easier," he joked.

Caroline chewed on her lip as she shifted on the couch, drawing her knees up and hugging them to her chest. She loved high school or she had until she'd become a supernatural creature. But before that, she'd loved running all the committees and being popular and spending time with her friends and being a cheerleader and just enjoying being young and having fun. She tried to see herself doing the same thing for the rest of her life and she couldn't help thinking that it would get boring after awhile especially once Elena, Bonnie and Matt moved on.

"Don't you think people would start to notice sooner or later that we're still there? Your mom is the mayor, mine is the sheriff, we're part of the founding families," Caroline pointed out. "Stefan waited like a century to reenroll at Mystic Falls High and he _still_ had to compel a few people to get what he needed."

"Caroline, there's no way we'd be able to stay in Mystic Falls for too long," Tyler replied. "People would notice and most of the founder's council is still in the dark about Damon being a vampire, but there's no way they're not going to be able to tell that you and I don't age. We'll have to start over somewhere else. We'll probably have to do that every few years no matter where we go," he said.

"You've put a lot of thought into this," Caroline commented. She was more than a little surprised by that. Tyler had always been an impulsive guy and aside from having the same dream of getting out of Mystic Falls that every other teenager in town had, he'd never really expressed any kind of future goals to her, even when they'd both been human.

Tyler nodded. "It started when I was with Jules and her werewolf pack. She told me about how they'd have to move on every few years and their aging process was only slowed not stopped like a vampire's. I also had a lot of time to think while I was away working on breaking the bond. People in this town might be clueless about some things, but short of compelling everyone, I don't see a way to stay here more than a few more years."

Caroline didn't either and she wasn't sure why the thought made her so sad. It wasn't like she'd planned to spend the rest of her life in Mystic Falls, just the opposite. She'd wanted to see the world and carve out her own personal niche of it. But in some part of her mind, she'd always assumed when it was time to settle down and have a family of her own, she'd return to Mystic Falls to raise them there just like generations of her ancestors had done before her. That was never going to happen now. Even if she waited a century to return, she was never going to have a normal life with a husband and kids and grandkids.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked. He set down the paper and pencil on the table and shifted closer to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong, Caroline?" he asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Caroline replied. She did her best to force a smile onto her face. She was being ridiculous. She didn't need any of those things to have an amazing life and she didn't have to be a high school student forever either if she didn't want to. Tyler was right. They could go to college; they could go to _a lot_ of different colleges if they chose to. There were plenty of options that did not involve planning twenty years worth of senior dances.

"Maybe we should take a break from the signs for awhile," she said as she shifted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she ran her hand over his chest. It had been almost a week since Tyler had returned and the two of them had been spending a lot of time together. Caroline was so happy that he was back and she appreciated how much he was going out of his way to do things that she wanted to do. Caroline knew Tyler had never been as big on school spirit as she was, but it meant a lot to her that he was so willing to help.

"A break sounds like an excellent idea," Tyler agreed. "It's also the perfect time for me to ask you something." He wrapped his arms around her and leaned in closer to kiss her. "Will you go to the dance with me?" he asked quietly.

Caroline was surprised by the question. She'd just assumed Tyler would take her to the dance since they'd been planning it together and they were a couple. But the fact that he was asking her like it wasn't a done deal sparked something warm inside of her. She grinned at him, throwing her arms around his neck and knocking him back into the couch. "Yes, Tyler," she said. "I would love to go to the dance with you."

He laughed at her enthusiasm and turned his head, covering her lips with his. The kiss started out slow, but he quickly deepened it, making her moan into his mouth as his tongue stroked hers. Caroline shifted so she was straddling his lap, her hands roaming across his chest and stomach. She broke the kiss a few minutes later, still grinning at him as she leaned back so she could meet his eyes.

"I'm so happy you came back, Tyler," Caroline said quietly.

Tyler smiled at her. "Me too," he said. "Now get back here and let's finish that break," he teased as he tugged her toward him and kissed her again.

* * *

><p>She couldn't help feeling guilty.<p>

No matter how many times Caroline tried to reassure herself that she wasn't doing anything wrong, she still felt guilty each time she said goodbye to Tyler, waited a few minutes to make sure he was gone and then immediately made her way across town to the mansion to see Klaus. Caroline wasn't even sure how she'd fallen into the habit, but every day since she'd asked him to spare Tyler, she'd found a reason to go visit him. Sometimes she only stayed for a few minutes, especially if one of his siblings was around. But other days, she found herself losing track of time and she would leave because the sun would be up shortly and she needed to get ready for school.

The compelled maid answered the door and Caroline smiled at her before she made her way down the hall to the den. Klaus was always in the den when she came over, no matter what time it was. Tonight, he was sitting on the couch with his sketchpad in his lap and Caroline felt guiltier than usual when she thought about how many times Tyler had redrawn the flyer for her before she'd finally settled on one. Caroline pushed the thought aside, reminding herself that she was here to help Tyler and everyone else.

Klaus didn't look up from his drawing as she came into the room, but Caroline never doubted that he knew she was there. She went to the wet bar first, poured herself a glass of his ancient scotch that she'd already forgotten the story of who he'd proudly stolen it from, and took a seat on the couch opposite him. "Can I ask you a question?" she asked, taking a sip of the drink and making a face as the liquid burned her throat.

"You can ask me anything, love," Klaus replied. He finally glanced up and Caroline saw the familiar smirk on his face. She still had the urge to slap him every time he flashed it in her direction. "But I can't guarantee that you'll like the answer," he added pointedly.

Caroline rolled her eyes. She knew that was his way of reminding her that he was still the bad guy, like she was _ever_ going to forget that. She supposed on some level, she appreciated that he was honest, but she couldn't help feeling like he was playing a game with her. She supposed that was a good thing though; she couldn't afford to ever let her guard down around Klaus. But for the moment, she just wanted to talk to him about something.

"Do you think it's ever going to be possible for me to be anything other than a high school student or a college student? Or do you think I'm going to have to enroll in school each time I move somewhere new to start over?" she asked. Her voice was quieter than she would have liked and Caroline knew that she was running the risk of exposing a vulnerability to him, but she didn't know who else to talk to about this.

"I think you can be anything you want to be, sweetheart," Klaus said. He put his sketchpad down and picked up his drink from the table. "The world is filled with unlimited possibilities and I'd be more than happy to show them to you," he reminded her, his smile widening as he met her eyes. "All you have to do is say the word."

Caroline shook her head. "I'm not talking about the cities or the art or all the things you can steal from various museums. I'm talking about life itself. Tyler and I…" She bit her lip, irritated with herself for not thinking before she spoke. Caroline had purposely gone out of her way to never mention Tyler's name in front of Klaus. But he just looked at her like he was waiting for her to continue, so she did. "We were talking about how we'd have to leave Mystic Falls sooner or later because people would start to notice we weren't aging. But everyone is always going to see me as a seventeen year old."

"That's not how I see you," Klaus replied. Caroline opened her mouth to remind him again that she was trying to have a serious discussion, but he held up his hand, the look on his face warning her to let him speak. "Sweetheart, I need you to listen to me. I've lived a long life and I plan to live an even longer one, preferably with you by my side." His eyes twinkled with mischief and Caroline rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips. He was relentless.

"You need to look at the bigger picture," he told her matter-of-factly. "You don't need to be a high school student or a college student forever. There are so many beautiful places to see in the world that it will take you several lifetimes just to see them all. You could live in Paris for three years and then spend three in Rome. Or you could move to the French countryside and no one would ever bother you. Sweetheart, you have the world at your fingertips and I promise you that you will never lead a boring existence. All you have to do is take it."

Caroline swallowed hard. The picture he painted left her momentarily speechless. Klaus had been offering to take her places since the night he'd fed her his blood, but she'd never really stopped and thought about what he was actually saying. He was right. The world was a massive place and it wasn't like she could see the whole thing in a few weeks or even a few years. She might not be able to stay in Mystic Falls forever, but there was nothing that said she had to stay in any one place forever.

"Do you have a favorite place?" she asked curiously. Klaus had told her a few stories about his travels and she'd admittedly only been half-listening since she hadn't been able to stop herself from wondering how many people he'd killed each place he'd gone.

Klaus gave her a thoughtful look as he sipped his drink. "There are too many to name," he said. "You're going to feel the same way, one day. Life is what you make of it and I know yours will be beautiful."

There was something about the way he said it that made Caroline think he was being honest and he wasn't just flirting with her or trying to impress her. She felt like she was getting a glimpse of the man beneath the hybrid and despite her best efforts to the contrary, she couldn't help thinking that she liked this side of him. "Okay, Mr. Know It All," she said. "Let's say I agreed to let you take me somewhere, and I assure you this is only hypothetical, where would you take me first?" she asked.

"Hypothetical is more than it was yesterday, love. I'll wear you down eventually," Klaus told her with that familiar smirk on his lips once more. He leaned back against the couch, his expression turning thoughtful. "Paris," he said after a moment. "We would start at the Louvre and make our way from there."

"Would you show me which paintings were yours?" Caroline asked. She couldn't stop her mind from picturing the two of them in the French museum, standing in front of all the paintings, much like they had done in this very house the night of the ball.

He watched her for a moment, all the arrogance completely fading from his face as he met her gaze. Caroline had a feeling if her heart could still beat, it would be pounding frantically against the walls of her chest just from the look on his face. He looked so hopeful and somehow she knew he was seeing it in his mind, just like she was in hers.

"I will," he promised quietly.


	6. Ring the Alarm

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews and the story alerts! :)

**Author's Note #2**: For a more, _descriptive_ version of the Tyler/Caroline scene, you can find the uncensored version on my live journal. The user name is the same.

* * *

><p><strong>Title:<strong> I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17 on Live Journal/M here

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Ring the Alarm<strong>

Elena parked her car and scooped up her purse and books from the passenger seat. She stepped out and started to close to the door as she heard a noise behind her. Elena glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened when she saw Rebekah standing there. Memories of the last time Rebekah had surprised her flashed through her mind and she swallowed hard as she met the vampire's gaze. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Rebekah smiled, pleased to see the fear in her eyes. "It's a school day, Elena. Where else would I be?" She narrowed her eyes and took a step closer to the doppelganger, forcing Elena's back against the car. "There's something we need to discuss."

"What?" Elena knew Esther had warned her children that they were not allowed to cause any trouble or hurt anyone so she felt relatively confident that Rebekah wasn't going to tear her throat out in broad daylight in the school parking lot. Then again, Elena had also assumed Esther would have followed through on her plan by now, but the Originals were all still walking around Mystic Falls.

"I want to know what your friend is up to with my brother. I don't like it," Rebekah told her. She didn't understand what Nik saw in the cheerleader and Rebekah did not trust her. She'd gone from hating Nik to being his closest friend in the blink of an eye, but Rebekah still saw her with Tyler all the time. Her brother was behaving like a fool, but that didn't mean she was going to let him get hurt.

"What do you mean my friend and your brother?" Elena asked, confused. She had no idea what Rebekah was talking about. The only one of her friends who had gotten close to an Original was Damon and considering Rebekah was the Original he'd slept with, Elena doubted he was the one she was referring to.

Rebekah rolled her eyes at the expression on Elena's face. "You truly are useless, aren't you? Caroline," she stated. "Caroline has been spending time with Nik and I want you to make her stop."

Elena's eyes widened. "Caroline has been spending time with Klaus?" she repeated. How was that possible? Elena knew Caroline was thrilled that Tyler was back and she was pretty sure Caroline had been spending all her free time with him. Judging by the gushing text messages, Caroline had sent her, Elena couldn't imagine why Caroline would give Klaus the time of day when she had Tyler again.

"Yes," Rebekah snapped as the little patience she had dissipated. "Caroline comes to the house every night and spends hours with Nik. Clearly she's keeping it a secret from her friends. Either that or you're too busy with you own problems to care about your friends. Make it stop," she said again.

"Caroline can spend time with whoever she wants to and I'm going to be late," Elena said. She closed the door and gave Rebekah a bored look, even as her mind raced. Caroline would not just start spending time with Klaus for no reason. Elena needed to find her right away and make sure everything was okay, but first, she needed to get rid of Rebekah. "Was there anything else?" she asked, her heart thumping against her chest.

"No," Rebekah replied. She'd just have to take matters into her own hands. She gave Elena another nasty look and then she took off, heading for the school. She figured since she was there, she might as well go to a few classes. There was nothing else to do in this boring town.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief, holding her books tight against her chest as she hurried toward the school as well, carefully slipping in one of the side doors. She knew Caroline usually got to school early to work on dance committee stuff so she was probably already there. Elena tried the gym first and when she saw that was empty, she headed down a different hallway toward the history classroom.

Caroline was standing behind Alaric's desk, flyers and checklists spread out in front of her as she went over the final details for the dance. She turned her head and smiled when she heard Elena walk into the classroom. "Hey, any chance you can help me hang some of these flyers? Tyler and Matt are starting on the other end of the school," she said.

"Sure," Elena said. She bit her lip as she moved closer to the desk, lowering her voice. She knew if Rebekah or any other vampire chose to listen, there was nothing she could do, but she wanted to try and be as quiet as possible. "Caroline, are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course," Caroline replied. She was better than okay. All the dance preparations had been made and she had a surprise date planned for Tyler on Friday. She'd been looking forward to it all week and she'd even bought a new dress, something she had told Elena all about. But she knew her friend had a lot going on, so she wasn't mad that she forgot. "Are you okay?" she asked curiously as she continued to sort the flyers.

"Yes, but I'm not the one visiting Klaus at his mansion night after night," Elena replied quietly. She kept her eyes on Caroline's face, wanting to see her reaction. She knew it was possible for Originals to compel other vampires and that was the only reasoning she could come up with as to why Caroline would be hanging out with Klaus.

Caroline's mouth fell open. "How did you know about that?" she asked. Caroline had been careful and she'd made a point to make sure no one had seen her coming and going from the house. The last thing she wanted was for Tyler to find out. But if Elena knew, it wasn't out of the question that Tyler might too.

"So it's true," Elena said as dread churned in her stomach. A small part of her had hoped Rebekah was lying. "Caroline, I don't understand. Why would you want to hang out with him? He's a psychotic murderer," she reminded her. Elena was still watching Caroline's face and she noticed that her friend looked guilty. That didn't seem like a sign of compulsion.

"How did you know?" Caroline asked again. She was going to have to go find Tyler and tell him, but what could she say? Elijah had specifically forbid her from explaining the plan to Tyler so she'd have to lie, but Caroline couldn't think of a single excuse that would make sense.

"Rebekah cornered me in the parking lot and told me. She thinks you're up to something and she wants me to make you stop seeing Klaus," Elena explained. "Caroline, talk to me. What's going on? Should I get Stefan to see if you've been compelled?" she asked.

"That bitch needs to mind her own business," Caroline muttered. She should have known. Rebekah had been around the last few nights and she'd given Caroline nasty looks each time they'd passed each other. But Rebekah hadn't said anything in front of Klaus. This wasn't good. "Elena, I'm fine. I'm not being compelled, okay? Klaus is different than I thought he was." Caroline hated that there was some truth in that, but she didn't know what else to say. If Rebekah was at school, she might overhear them.

Elena's mouth fell open. "Caroline, do you hear yourself? You're defending Klaus. _Klaus_, the one who made Tyler bite you. The one who _killed_ Tyler and turned him into a hybrid in the first place," she added pointedly. "He has to have found a way to compel you. I'm calling Stefan to get your more vervain." She reached for her cell phone, but Caroline snatched it from her hand before she had a chance to touch the screen.

"I haven't stopped taking my vervain and I'm not being compelled. I need you to trust me, Elena," Caroline said. She met her friend's eyes, giving her a look that begged her to drop it. "I know you don't understand, but you don't know Klaus like I do. Maybe if more people gave him a chance, he wouldn't be so terrible to everyone. He's different with me." She picked up a pen and scribbled something down, handing Elena back her phone along with the stack of flyers.

"I need you to put these up for me, okay?" Caroline asked. She added the note to the top and tapped it once with her fingernail so Elena would look at it as she kept talking. "You know how important this dance is. I want it to be perfect so if you want to help me, don't worry about Klaus. Worry about the flyers," she said.

Elena's brow furrowed and she glanced down at the note, her eyes widening when she saw what Caroline had written. _Talk to Elijah. _She opened her mouth and then closed it, holding Caroline's gaze for a moment before she nodded in agreement. "I'll take care of these flyers," she promised.

"Thank you," Caroline replied. She took the note back, tore it into tiny pieces and tossed it in the trash under Alaric's desk. She doubted Elijah would keep the truth from Elena if she asked him directly and it was also the best way to warn him that his sister was causing trouble. This whole thing was already complicated enough without Rebekah stirring things up. She picked up the last stack of flyers and followed Elena into the hallway, doing her best to push aside the fear that something would go wrong.

* * *

><p>"I still demand a rematch," Tyler said as he and Caroline made their way up the walk to her front door. "Your go cart was programmed to go faster than mine because the guy liked you better."<p>

Caroline shook her head. "You just don't want to admit that you lost to a girl. Twice," she added, smirking as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Did you have fun?" Caroline had taken Tyler to an amusement park in a neighboring town so they could just focus on being young and enjoying themselves without having to worry about their friends or their families or any kind of supernatural creatures, aside from themselves.

"Are you kidding?" Tyler replied. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her body close to his, resting his forehead against hers as he held her gaze. "Tonight was the most fun I've had in ages and the fact that you planned this night for me makes it that much better. Thank you, Caroline," he said.

Her smile widened and Caroline felt the familiar butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She could see that he was happy and that was exactly what she'd wanted after all the craziness as of late. She leaned into him and kissed him, starting out slow and quickly deepening the kiss as one of her hands slid into his hair. "I wanted to do something for you for a change. You've been so good to me, Tyler."

"I'd do anything for you, Caroline. I know I've let you down in the past, but I promise you that's never going to happen again," Tyler said. He brought one of his hands up to cup her cheek, caressing it softly. "I love you," he said.

Caroline pressed another kiss to his lips, letting the kiss linger for a moment before she pulled back so she could see his face. "I love you too, Tyler. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I love you," she said again. It felt so good to finally be able to say the words to his face even though she'd known in her heart for some time that they were true.

Tyler looked momentarily stunned and then he tightened his grip on her, spinning her around and making her laugh before he set her back on her feet. "It's about time," he teased as he leaned in and crushed his lips over hers.

Even though Caroline heard the hint of teasing in his voice, she still felt like she should explain herself. She pulled back from the kiss, taking his face in her hands. "It's not that I didn't want to say it or that I didn't feel it. I just wanted things to be right between us again. So much has happened Tyler, but I want you to know that all I ever wanted was for you to be okay. I don't want to lose you," she whispered.

"You won't," Tyler replied firmly. "We've come too far for that," he said. Tyler kissed her again and Caroline let herself melt into him. She'd finally gotten to tell him that she loved him and now she wanted to show him. She returned the kiss with everything she had as she took his hand in hers and tugged him toward the door.

"My mom is working the graveyard shift tonight and won't be home until sometime tomorrow. I think it's time for you to cash in that overnight invitation you've been holding onto," she said, smiling at him for a moment before she turned to open the door. Caroline felt him hesitating and tugged harder on his hand. "I want to be with you, Tyler."

"Thank God," Tyler replied, grinning as he let her pull him into the house and slam the door behind them. Caroline's grin widened as they both shifted into vampire speed, reaching her room in a matter of seconds. She shrieked as Tyler pinned her up against the wall, kissing her hungrily as their hands quickly made work of the buttons and zippers that were in their way as they shed various articles of clothing.

"I missed you so much," Caroline cried.

"I missed you too," Tyler replied.

"So much for taking things slow this time," Tyler joked.

"Forget slow," Caroline snapped desperately. "Please Tyler, I need you," she cried.

They ended up in her bed a little while later, their remaining clothes tossed aside before they burrowed under her covers. Caroline snuggled into Tyler's chest, enjoying the feeling of his hand stroking her hair. It felt incredible to finally be close to him again. He held her a little tighter and whispered that he loved her and Caroline turned her head to press a kiss to his chest. "I love you too," she replied.

* * *

><p>Caroline didn't see Klaus for a few days. She couldn't; not after everything she'd shared with Tyler. She was so happy that he finally knew that she loved him and it had felt so good to be close to him again. It wasn't just the sex that she'd missed, although she very much had, but the connection they shared. They'd been through so much together and they'd seen each other at some of their lowest points but they had gotten through all that bad stuff. They would get through this mess with Klaus too and come out stronger because of it. Caroline didn't have any doubt about that.<p>

It was Tuesday night when she found herself standing on the front porch of the mansion once again. She knew she couldn't put things off any longer or she might risk losing the trust Klaus had already given her. Tyler was hanging out with Matt that night and she was going to do her best not to feel guilty. Caroline was doing this for Tyler and for the rest of their friends. But no matter how many times she told herself that, she still couldn't shake the guilt that felt like an elephant on her chest.

As she lifted her hand to ring the bell, the sound of raised voices inside stopped her. Caroline shifted closer to the door and focused on the voices she could hear, drowning out all the rest of the noise around her.

"She's using you, Nik!" Rebekah said; exasperation evident in her voice. "You're a fool if you trust her."

"Enough!" Klaus replied and Caroline could imagine the angry look on his face. "I do not want to hear enough word, dear sister, unless you want to go right back in that casket."

Caroline heard Rebekah scoff. "That's always your answer for everything, isn't it, Nik? You don't want to hear the truth so you just shove a dagger in my heart and hide me in a box. You know I'm right. Where has she been?" she asked. "I'll tell you," she continued before Klaus could respond. "She's been with her _boyfriend_. She was just using you for some reason and you're letting her because you're too blind to see it!"

The next thing Caroline heard was the sound of a glass shattering and Rebekah made an indignant noise and then gasped. "Nik, what is wrong with you? Family above all else!" she shouted. "How can you take her word over mine?"

"You're jealous," Klaus replied. "You haven't been able to make any friends so you don't want anyone else to have them either. Grow up, Rebekah," he told her snidely. "If you so much as look at Caroline the wrong way, you're going to wish all I'd done was put a dagger in your heart." The venom Caroline heard in his voice made her swallow hard, but at the same time, there was a small part of her that appreciated him defending her.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the guilt she felt intensified. What was wrong with her? She was touched that Klaus was defending her even though Rebekah was right. She _was_ using him; she was doing all of this so his brother could find a way to kill him once and for all. She had no right to be happy that he was defending her. Caroline realized she needed to get out of there. She was losing sight of herself and that was not okay. She turned to go and nearly collided with Elijah.

He held his finger to his lips and tilted his head toward the driveway. Caroline nodded and followed him down the driveway until they were far enough away from the house that Elijah decided it was safe to talk. "You took a risk sending Elena to me," he told her, his eyes boring into hers.

Caroline was having a hard time reading his expression. She hated that it was impossible to tell if he was angry or not. She really hoped he wasn't because having one Original out to get her was already bad enough. "I know, but she thought I was being compelled and I didn't know what else to do. I also wanted her to tell you about Rebekah. She doesn't trust me," she pointed out, hoping to change the subject.

Elijah nodded. "I brought the matter to Niklaus's attention and I see that you've witnessed the results. I know manipulation feels wrong, but the ends will justify the means. Do you still believe that?" he asked.

"Yes," Caroline replied. She did or at least that was what she kept telling herself. "It's just harder than I thought it would be," she admitted.

"You cannot leave without seeing him or Rebekah's words will stay in his head," Elijah replied. He gestured for her to walk back toward the house, falling in step beside her as she did. "I know this is hard on you, Caroline, but you're going to have to make a good faith gesture or Niklaus will become suspicious of you."

Caroline didn't like the sound of that, but she knew Elijah was right. He opened the door for her and as they stepped into the foyer, she could hear Rebekah yelling again and Elijah instantly disappeared from her side. Caroline hurried toward the den and saw that he was standing between Rebekah and Klaus, the latter holding one of the daggers in his hand.

"Is this a bad time?" Caroline asked. She did her best to make her voice sound cheerful as she looked between them with what she hoped was the right about of confusion and apprehension.

Rebekah opened her mouth, but Elijah's hand closed over her wrist before she could speak. "Rebekah and I are going to retire for the evening." He took the dagger from Klaus and tugged his sister from the room. Caroline could hear her complaining as he dragged her up the stairs and she turned to Klaus, noting the scary look on his face. Caroline prayed it wasn't already too late.

"I'm sorry I interrupted," she said. "I can see that you've got stuff going on so why don't we have lunch tomorrow? I can meet you at the Grill after my last class if you'd like," Caroline said. She knew Tyler would be busy with practice and her mother would be working. She knew plenty of other people might see them together, but she had to chance it. Being seen in public with him was the only 'good faith gesture' that she could come up with on short notice.

Klaus continued to just stare at her, not saying anything and for a moment, Caroline feared the worst. But then he nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>The next day, Caroline skipped her last class and headed to the Grill early. She'd been having second thoughts all day and more than once, she had considered telling Tyler that she was meeting Klaus. But she knew that wouldn't go over well. Caroline just had to hope that practice kept him busy and he wouldn't find out. She glanced around the restaurant, relieved to see that for once, half the town was not there. She sat down at a table near the dart board and absently flipped through the menu as she waited.<p>

"Did you leave school early, love? I'm starting to worry about your attendance record."

Caroline ignored the tension that crept into her shoulders at the sound of Klaus's voice. She arched an eyebrow as she glanced up from the menu to meet his gaze. "Your creepy stalker tendencies are showing. Did you come to have a few drinks before our lunch?" she asked.

"Maybe one or two," Klaus replied as he sat down in the chair across from her. "I apologize for last night. My sister tends to see things that are not there. She likes to cause trouble," he said.

"Seems like a family trait," Caroline countered. She closed her menu and folded her hands on the table in front of her. Klaus seemed relaxed, but she'd spent enough time with him lately to know better. He was testing her and she needed to pass if this was going to work. "I feel like I should apologize too. Now that Tyler is back, I've been neglecting my friends, including you," she said.

A look she couldn't read crossed his face and then Klaus gave her that familiar smirk. "Is that why you wanted to meet here? To show off my newly elevated friend status?" he asked curiously.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "We've been at friend status for awhile but I didn't want it to go to your head. I also wanted to avoid running into Rebekah. If you'd rather not eat here, we can leave," she said with a shrug.

"Let's order," Klaus suggested. "You can tell me if you've given any further thought to where you want me to take you when we go on our first adventure. I still think Paris is the best choice."

"That is never going to happen," Caroline reminded him. The rest of the tension eased from her body. He wasn't angry with her and he was still talking about seeing the world together. Maybe things were going to be okay after all.

The waiter came over and they placed their orders. Once he was gone, Klaus continued to tell her about the benefits of seeing Paris with an experienced guide and once again, Caroline found herself imagining it in vivid detail. She had to give Klaus credit for one thing. He was a champion storyteller. It wasn't until the waiter returned with their food that she realized more than a few minutes had gone by.

"I'm going to remind you of this conversation once we get to Paris. I do enjoy being right, sweetheart," Klaus told her as he cut into his steak. "The food is much better there too, but not as good as Italy." He reached out and took a fry from her plate, grinning as he popped it into his mouth.

Caroline gaped at him and then started laughing. "I can't believe you just stole food from my plate. That's so rude." She tried and failed to give him a disgruntled look. "That's exactly why I'm not traveling with you. You can't just help yourself to anything you want," she chastised him, even as she kept smiling.

"I know that," Klaus replied. He was smiling as well as he met her gaze. "But I can be extremely patient when something is worth having."

She could _feel_ the energy between them change and it frightened her. Caroline swallowed hard, trying to find her voice as she found herself unable to look away from his gaze. "I…"

"Caroline, what is going on?"

Her eyes widened as Tyler's voice broke through the haze that had taken over her brain. Caroline turned and saw him standing beside their table, an expectant look on his face as he stared down at her.


	7. Touch the Fire

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews and the story alerts! :)

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><p><strong>Title:<strong> I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17 on Live Journal/M here

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Touch the Fire<strong>

Caroline felt like she was experience déjà vu, only it was some weird opposite version of that. The last time the three of them had been here like this, she'd been with Tyler and Klaus had been the odd man out. Now it was Tyler who was looking at her like she'd lost her mind. Maybe she had. It was the only explanation for why she'd thought she could get away with having a meal with Klaus in the middle of the Grill without some kind of consequences.

She was sure the guilt she felt was written all over her face as she tried to figure out how to explain this to Tyler without arousing Klaus's suspicions. Caroline decided to just act like everything was normal and hope for the best. "Hey Tyler," she said brightly. "I thought you had practice today." Caroline was doing her best to sound casual and curious, but if the tightness in her chest was anything to go by, she was not pulling it off.

"I did," Tyler replied. He was still looking at her like she was crazy. "The coach got food poisoning so it was canceled. Caroline, what are you doing here with him?" he demanded, his tone making it clear that he was not going to let the subject go until he got an answer. He sent a glare in Klaus's direction.

Klaus smirked at him, clearly amused by his reaction. "We're having a meal," he said, gesturing to the plates in front of them. "I'd say you're welcome to join us, but you're not." He gave Tyler another smug look and then turned his attention back to his steak.

"Don't be rude," Caroline told him. She saw Tyler's eyes widen and he glanced at Klaus for a reaction, but his eyes were still on his food. Caroline knew she needed to end this before things had a chance to escalate. "Can you excuse me for a moment?" Caroline didn't give Klaus a chance to answer before she got up, took Tyler's hand and pulled him outside.

"Since when do you have meals with Klaus?" Tyler demanded the second they were out the door. "Caroline, I thought you hated him. Has he compelled you or something? What is going on?" he demanded.

Caroline hated what she was about to say, but she knew she didn't have a choice. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Klaus was listening to every word they said from inside the restaurant. "Tyler, I know I should have told you sooner, but Klaus and I…we…we're friends now," she said. It felt strange to say the words out loud to someone other Klaus, but Caroline did her best to keep her voice steady.

"Friends?" Tyler repeated. His eyes grew wide and Caroline saw a flash of hurt before his expression of disbelief returned. "Caroline, how can you be friends with a murderer? He killed Jenna. He killed _me_! You freaked out when I was bonded to him and now you're choosing to be friends with him? That doesn't make any sense."

She swallowed hard, ignoring the sudden urge to cry. Caroline hated that she was standing there lying to Tyler, but Elijah had made it clear that she couldn't tell him the truth; not that she could do that now anyway with Klaus listening. She had really messed things up by not trying to explain the situation to Tyler in the first place. She should have tried harder to tell him without actually telling him. Instead, she knew he was going to be hurt and that made everything so much worse.

"I've gotten to know Klaus a little better since you left," Caroline explained. "He's not all bad. I think he just needs to have someone on his side. He hasn't killed anyone since we started hanging out." She had no idea if that was actually true, but she thought it was. He definitely hadn't tortured any of their friends so that was something. Caroline hated herself a little for rationalizing things that way and she was grateful no one could hear her thoughts.

"He's not that bad." Tyler just shook his head, disgusted. "I don't know what's going on right now, Caroline, but this isn't you. Did he compel you?" he asked. "Is there a way to find out?" Tyler reached out and grabbed her arms, pulling her close to him as he stared into her eyes, looking for some sign that she wasn't herself.

"Of course not," Caroline replied. "Elena already asked me that. I'm still taking my vervain. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I know I should have and I wish you hadn't found out this way, but Tyler, I need you to trust me. Please," she added as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his.

Tyler just stared at her, not saying anything for a moment before his eyes darted back toward the Grill. He raised an eyebrow at her and pointed to his ear. Caroline nodded and he sighed. "I do trust you, Caroline, but I'm worried about you. I don't think you should trust that guy."

"He's different with me," Caroline replied. Her chest tightened when she saw Tyler wince. She was not looking forward to the conversation the two of them were going to have when they knew they were alone. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I need to get back. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Caroline hoped he would just let it go for now. She doubted Klaus's patience was going to hold out much longer.

"Yeah, later," Tyler agreed, but he didn't let go of her yet. Caroline couldn't bring herself to pull away, but she knew she had to. She gave him another kiss and then took a step back, forcing him to drop his arms from her shoulders. He shook his head again, holding her gaze for a moment and then he turned and walked away.

Caroline watched him go, wishing this wasn't so difficult. She swallowed the lump in her throat and made her way back inside. Klaus was sitting at the table eating like nothing had happened. She sat down across from him and waited for him to look up at her. When he did, she saw something in his eyes that confirmed that he'd heard every word. She wasn't going to comment on that. "I'm sorry," she said simply. "I know I should have told Tyler that we were friends now, but I knew he wouldn't react well."

"I don't blame him for being jealous of me," Klaus replied with a shrug. He leaned back in his seat and smiled at Caroline, the familiar smugness returning to his expression. "Tyler sees me as a threat and he should. I fully intend to make you mine, sweetheart. There's no reason to pretend otherwise."

She rolled her eyes. "I've been telling you since the beginning that I'm spoken for and that's not going to change just because you don't like it," Caroline replied. She resumed eating even as she internally sighed with relief that Klaus was taking this as a challenge instead of being angry with her for not saying anything. Caroline knew that he thought of Tyler as being beneath him and she hoped that his arrogance would work out in her favor on this one.

"Actions speak louder than words, love," Klaus pointed out as he snagged another fry from her plate and grinned at her as he took a bite. "You say you're not interested, but you let Tyler walk away so you could spend more time with me. I like my odds," he said cheerfully.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Caroline replied. He laughed and she couldn't help the smile that played across her lips. She told herself that it was because the plan was working, but the little voice in the back of her head had a different explanation that she was pointedly going to ignore.

* * *

><p>Caroline wasn't the least bit surprised to find Tyler waiting in her room when she got home. Her late lunch with Klaus had gone really well, maybe too well. She felt like she was getting too comfortable with him and that scared her. Caroline hadn't lost sight of why she was spending time with him, but there were moments where it was the last thing on her mind. He was funny when he wasn't being overly arrogant and he had so many interesting stories. She supposed it was impossible not to when a person had been alive for over a thousand years. He made it hard to resist hanging on his every word.<p>

But Klaus being interesting was not the issue at the moment. Tyler was sitting on her bed and Caroline couldn't help thinking about the last time he'd been there. It had only been a few days and she hated that it felt like they'd just taken a huge step backward after they'd finally gotten close again. She knew the conversation they were about to have wasn't going to make things any better. Caroline sat down beside him, both of them staring at the wall across the room. Her natural instinct was to just start talking and fill the silence, but she knew she had to wait for him.

She was beginning to feel like time had stopped by the time he finally spoke. "I don't get it, Caroline. Why him? You can't just tell me that he's different and expect me to believe that's the whole story. You have plenty of friends. Why him?" he asked again.

"I don't know," Caroline replied. She wanted to reach out and put her hand on his arm, but she wasn't sure he had any interest in being close to her at the moment and she didn't want to push it. "He was nice to me on my birthday after he saved my life. I didn't want anything to do with him. I knew the kind of person he was. But there really is another side to him, Tyler."

He snorted. "Do you really expect me to believe that he's suddenly a murderer with a heart of gold? Come on, Caroline," Tyler snapped, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice. He turned his head to meet her gaze. "Do you know what I went through to break that guy's hold on me? It was _torture_, Caroline. It was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life and that's saying something. Now I find out that he's moving in on my girlfriend? What the hell?"

Caroline fought the natural impulse to get defensive. Everything Tyler was saying was true. He'd gone through hell to break the sire bond and he'd done it for her. He had every right to be angry that she'd been spending time with Klaus behind his back. But she was doing it for a good reason; a reason she wished she could share with him. She swallowed the lump of guilt in her throat and did her best to keep her expression neutral. "Klaus isn't the only one who has killed people, Tyler. We all have," she reminded him.

Tyler opened his mouth, but Caroline pressed on before he had a chance to say anything. "I know it's not the same for us, but look at Stefan and Damon. They've both done terrible things, but they have good sides too. So does Klaus," she said firmly. As she said the words, Caroline realized there was a lot of truth behind them. Everyone had forgiven, or mostly forgiven, Stefan and Damon for their bad behavior. Maybe that was all Klaus needed was for someone to give him a chance.

She pushed the thought away as quickly as it had popped into her head. Things were confusing enough already without her trying to see the good in Klaus. It didn't matter if he had a good side. Elijah, Bonnie and the others were looking for the means to kill him and then none of this would be an issue. In the meantime, she needed to find a way to fix things with Tyler. Caroline reached for his hand, threading their fingers together.

"I know you don't understand and I can't blame you for being angry with me. But Tyler, I need you to trust me and trust that I know what I'm doing. Please," Caroline urged. She knew it was asking a lot, but she couldn't give him any other explanation other than that.

Tyler shook his head. "Caroline, I do trust you and I love you, but I don't trust him. He's using you. He's not like us. All Klaus cares about is Klaus. He's getting inside your head and it has to stop. I want you to stay away from him," he said firmly.

Caroline swallowed hard. She didn't know what to say to that. How could she argue with him when she'd basically asked the same of him when he'd been sired? That had been even worse since he hadn't had any choice. She was _choosing_ to spend time with Klaus and that meant she'd be choosing to go against what Tyler wanted even though she loved him. Caroline knew it wasn't that simple, but it wasn't like she could admit that.

"I'm sorry, Tyler. I can't do that," she replied. "I know you don't understand, but Klaus is my friend."

Tyler looked stunned and this time the hurt in his eyes didn't disappear. He dropped her hand and moved off the bed, pausing in the doorway to look back at her. "I don't know what happened to you, Caroline. You're better than him," he said. Tyler turned and Caroline watched him speed off, the sound of the door closing echoing through the house a few seconds later.

* * *

><p>"So he just left?" Elena asked, frowning as she tried to understand. She'd been worried when Caroline hadn't shown up for school that day and when her friend had texted her and said that she was all right, but needed some time to herself, Elena had skipped out on the rest of her classes so she could see for herself. She'd found Caroline sitting on the couch, eating junk food and watching sappy movies. It had taken some prodding before Caroline had finally told her what had happened with Tyler the night before.<p>

Caroline nodded. Relaying the story to Elena had taken a lot out of her and she reached for another cookie. It wasn't like she could get fat so she might as well numb the pain any way that she could. "I called him fifty times last night and then I went to school this morning, but he wasn't there so I came back here. I just couldn't deal with everything else," she admitted.

"Wow," Elena said. She put her arms around Caroline and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Caroline. I can't imagine how hard this is but I'm sure Tyler will understand once Klaus is dead," she pointed out.

"Maybe," Caroline said, "Or maybe he'll be angry with me for not being honest with him in the first place. I feel like such a hypocrite, Elena. I told him that I couldn't handle him being tied to Klaus and now I'm telling him that Klaus is different with me and he's not that bad. What if Tyler leaves town again? I have no idea where he went. What if I lose him?" she asked. A small sob bubbled in her throat and Caroline quickly covered her mouth.

She'd been torturing herself with the 'maybes' and the 'what ifs' ever since Tyler had walked out the day before. No matter how many times she tried telling herself that everything would be fine once Klaus was gone, Caroline couldn't make herself believe it. How many times had she lied to Tyler in the past? She always said it was for his own good, but that didn't mean he saw it that way. They'd come so far and now she'd ruined things again, possibly forever.

"Caroline," Elena said firmly, bringing Caroline out of her thoughts. "I know how hard it is to lie to someone you love, but sometimes we don't have a choice. Tyler loves you. That's not going to go away just because of this. When this is over, he'll see what you did and he'll be fine with it because he knows that's the kind of selfless person you are." She placed her hand over Caroline's, squeezing it gently. "Everything is going to be fine."

She had to smile at that. "Whoever thought we'd see the day when Elena Gilbert was the positive one in the room?" Caroline teased. She pulled Elena into another hug. "Thanks, Elena. Thanks for checking on me and for trying to make me feel better."

"It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me," Elena replied. She returned the hug, patting Caroline on the back. "Now what do you say we get some ice cream and put on a decent movie since we're already playing hooky?" she suggested.

"Deal," Caroline agreed. She started to get up just as there was a knock on the door. She glanced at Elena and then made her way toward the foyer, hoping to see Tyler on the other side. But it was Elijah standing on the porch. Caroline opened the door and motioned for him to come in. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

Elijah nodded as he stepped inside. "Yes, but there is a matter we need to address. Elena," he added when he spotted her sitting on the couch. "I won't take up too much of your time, but I thought you would like to know that the witches have made a discovery."

"That's good, right?" Elena asked as she joined them in the foyer. She gave Elijah a small smile and wasn't surprised when he didn't return it. Things had been tense between them since she'd lied to him about the champagne.

"It has the potential to be the answer that we've been waiting for," Elijah replied. "There are a few things that Bonnie and the others require so I will be leaving town for a few days to gather them. I doubt Niklaus will miss my presence, but I've already told Rebekah that I had business to attend to."

Caroline wasn't sure why she couldn't seem to find her voice. This definitely sounded like a good thing. She knew Elijah would find whatever the witches needed and then he'd come back and that would be that. Klaus would be dead and they could all go back to their normal lives. She should be jumping for joy, but all she felt was more anxiety building in her stomach. She could feel Elijah's eyes on her and she knew she needed to say something before he started asking questions she couldn't answer.

"Well thanks for coming by and telling me what's going on," Caroline said. She forced a smile on her face, doing her best to look relaxed. "You have no idea how glad I'll be when this whole thing is over." That part was at least true. "Elena, I'm going to grab the ice cream." Caroline needed a minute to herself and she assumed Elijah would take the hint and show himself out.

"Okay," Elena said, frowning as she watched Caroline rush off. She glanced at Elijah and she could tell he was confused by Caroline's reaction too. "Tyler's upset that she's spending time with Klaus so she's having a rough day."

Elijah nodded, meeting Elena's gaze for a brief moment before he turned to leave. "Niklaus will be out of all of our lives soon," he said quietly as he walked out, closing the door behind him.

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><p>It was just after midnight when Caroline found herself walking through the cemetery near Fell's Tomb. Elena had stayed with her for the rest of the afternoon and she hadn't pushed for answers when Caroline had had her strange reaction to Elijah's news. Caroline was grateful for that, but it didn't stop her from wondering what she'd been thinking. She should have been elated. Klaus dying would fix everything; it was the reason she'd been doing all of this in the first place. So why wasn't she happier about it?<p>

Caroline had decided against seeing him that night. She was too upset about Tyler to pretend to enjoy herself or worse, _actually_ enjoy herself. Maybe that was part of the problem. Klaus had gotten inside her head and he'd opened her mind to possibilities that she'd never considered before. She liked the thought of getting out of Mystic Falls and seeing the world. She liked the idea of exploring cities and countries for months or even years at a time. There were so many possibilities open to her now that she had an eternity to look forward to.

But she didn't want to share that eternity with Klaus. Despite the logic she'd tried to use with Tyler, Caroline knew Klaus was the bad guy. He was an unrepentant murderer who had destroyed most of her friends' lives in one way or another. He was not the kind of person someone had a happily ever after with. He was a monster. He needed to die. It was the only way they were all going to be safe. Elijah was going to bring the witches what they needed and he was going to die. That was all there was to it. She accepted that; she welcomed it.

Except she _didn't_ and no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she did, Caroline knew the truth. She couldn't blindly accept the part where Klaus was going to die because there was a small part of her that had started to care for him. She wasn't in love with him by any means and she definitely didn't ever see herself falling for him. But in some twisted way, they had become friends and knowing that she was playing a huge part in planning his death bothered her.

She liked him. She liked a monster and she hated herself for it.

Caroline sat down on the ground in front of the tomb, pulling her knees to her chest as she looked up at the night sky. The moon was small tonight, barely a crescent. She wondered where Tyler was and what he was doing. She wanted to find him and beg him to forgive her, but she couldn't help thinking she didn't deserve his forgiveness. Caroline felt the tears welling in the corners of her eyes and she closed her eyes, doing her best to will them away. She had no right to cry over the mess she'd made.

Her eyes were still closed tightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Caroline took a deep breath out of habit and slowly opened her eyes, tilting her head up to look at Klaus. "What's the matter, love?" he asked. The expression on his face was so genuine that Caroline had to fight the urge to cry all over again.

"Please don't ask me that question," she said quietly. A tear slipped down her cheek and Caroline swatted it away. She took another deep breath even though it didn't have the same effect it had had when she'd still been alive. All she wanted was to forget everything for a little while. She didn't care that it was wrong. "Will you tell me another story?"

Klaus looked at her for a moment and then he sat down on the ground beside her, his hand still on her shoulder. "I thought of where we should go after we leave Paris. Greece," he said before she had a chance to tell him that was not the kind of story she'd meant. "We'd start in Athens so I could show you all the ancient ruins. It sounds dull in theory, but they're one of the most beautiful sights in the world."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, deciding she might as well go with it. She'd wanted to hear more stories about his past, but this was still better than talking about the present. "So you want to show me old, crumbling rocks? That seems like it would be a disappointment after spending all that time in Paris. What about those villages where people live right in the cliffs that overlook the sea? Those always look so pretty in the movies," she said.

He sighed loudly and Caroline wondered if she'd done something wrong until she saw the smile on his face. "Sweetheart, you're jumping ahead in the story. I would never deprive you of seeing the little villages along the Mediterranean. Now, where were we?" Klaus launched back into the details about everything he wanted to show her in Athens and Caroline couldn't help smiling as she pictured all of it in her mind.

By the time he was done, he'd mapped out nearly three years worth of activities for them in Greece. Caroline didn't resist when he took her hand and pulled her to her feet, his eyes on hers for a long moment. Klaus wrapped his arm around her waist and she held onto him as he sprinted them away from the cemetery until they were standing on her porch. Her free hand was still fisted in his shirt and his remained on her hip. Caroline swallowed hard as he leaned close to her, but then he stopped and simply lifted their joined hands to his lips, kissing hers softly.

"Sweet dreams, love," he whispered, grinning at her and then disappearing in the blink of an eye. Caroline leaned her back against the door, her hand resting over her heart. She knew if it could beat, it would have been pounding uncontrollably.

She was in trouble.


	8. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the feedback and alerts! **

* * *

><p><strong>Title:<strong> I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17/M

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room<strong>

"Wake up, sweetheart."

Caroline rolled over in her bed, her eyes fluttering open slowly. She must have fallen asleep with the light on because the room was bathed in a soft glow. She looked up at Klaus, who was standing beside her bed, watching her with an expression on his face that she didn't know how to read. She wasn't surprised that he was there; she'd been thinking about him when she'd been trying to fall asleep. "Why are you here?" she asked quietly.

"I wanted to show you something," Klaus replied. His eyes remained on hers as he leaned down and pulled the blanket away from her, sliding it aside to expose her. She was clad in a pair of white cotton shorts and a light blue camisole. Caroline wished she'd worn a t-shirt to bed so she wouldn't feel so vulnerable. But his eyes were still on her face even as he sat down beside her.

"You're curious about what it would be like," Klaus stated. His voice was lower than usual and it reminded Caroline of the time he'd come to save her after he'd made Tyler bite her. "Do you know why I haven't kissed you yet, love?" he asked.

Caroline wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but she couldn't seem to find her voice; not when he was staring into her eyes like that. Once again, she found herself thinking about her heart and how fast it would be beating if it still had the ability to do so. She managed to shake her head.

That made him smile, but it wasn't his usual smirk; it was softer. "I've been waiting for the right moment," Klaus explained. "The moment where I'm sure you want me to. I know you were waiting for me to kiss you on the porch earlier."

She opened her mouth to tell him that he was wrong, but stopped herself. Caroline had been expecting him to kiss her and she'd been relieved when he'd limited it to just kissing her hand. But if she was being honest, a part of her had been disappointed and she realized he knew that or he wouldn't be there in her room in the middle of the night.

He must have recognized the realization on her face because he leaned closer, brushing his fingers across her cheek. His hand was warmer than she'd expected it to be. Caroline nearly laughed at herself for having such a silly thought at a time like this, but she couldn't help it. Klaus leaned in even closer, his eyes still on hers before he closed the remaining distance between them and covered her mouth with his.

His lips were soft and the kiss was a lot gentler than Caroline would have expected from someone like him. She made a little noise in the back of her throat as he continued to kiss her like he had all the time in the world. Caroline decided it shouldn't be a surprise that he was a good kisser; it would be a travesty if he wasn't considering how long he'd been alive and how much experience he probably had.

She opened her mouth beneath his and let him deepen the kiss; his tongue teasing hers slowly, skillfully, and making her immediately want more. Caroline reached up, threading her hand through the back of his hair to pull him closer. Nothing seemed to exist except for the exquisite feeling of his mouth on hers. Even though he was just kissing her, Caroline felt her entire body responding. She shifted her thighs, rubbing them together to try and hold off the familiar ache building inside of her.

Her mind told her that this was wrong on every level. He shouldn't be in her bedroom, he shouldn't be kissing her and she definitely shouldn't be kissing him back. But she couldn't seem to make herself stop. He pulled away first, easing back to watch her face as she opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"That wasn't enough for you, was it, sweetheart?" Caroline was again surprised when the question wasn't asked with his usual arrogance. She shook her head and waited for him to kiss her again. Instead, his hand trailed over her arm, from her shoulder to her hand and back again, making her shudder. "There's something to be said for slow. Some things are meant to be savored." He repeated the action on her other arm and Caroline had to fight the urge to rock her hips against the mattress as she found herself further turned on.

He brought his hands to her sides, resting them just above her hips. The part of her brain that was telling her how wrong this was grew smaller as the part that desperately wanted him to touch her grew louder. He was watching her like he was reading her thoughts and Caroline knew she should be scared. She also knew she should stop this, but she wasn't going to do either.

Klaus trailed his hands up her sides the way he'd moved over her arms. Caroline gasped when his fingers brushed against the sides of her breasts and she couldn't stop her hips from moving when he reversed his hands and did it again on his path back to her hips. He kept going; running his hands over her hips, down her thighs and sliding them over her bare legs.

"Please," Caroline urged, not completely sure what she was asking him for, but knowing she needed more than the gentle touches. Her body felt like she was on fire and she craved more; she wanted release.

He smiled and this time, she saw the smirk she was used to seeing on his face. "Patience is a virtue, sweetheart. The things we wait for are the ones worth having. But all you have to do is say the words."

Caroline would have said anything at that point, but she wasn't sure what he wanted from her, aside from the obvious. "Klaus, please," she said again. Caroline grabbed his hand from her hip and placed it over her breast, holding it there in case he had any intentions of pulling away.

Klaus shook his head and she was ready to cry out in frustration when he moved his other hand between her legs and cupped her intimately. Caroline moaned; bucking her hips hard against his hand to try and increase the contact. But instead of giving her what she wanted, he moved away from her completely and Caroline gaped at him as he watched her from the doorway.

"Instant gratification isn't as satisfying as you think it is; not when it comes to this," Klaus told her as he slowly walked back toward the bed. "Let me show you want it feels like to be savored, love." His eyes met hers again and the promise and desire she saw reflected there made her shudder.

"Okay," Caroline agreed. She held out her hand to him and he took it as he moved back onto the bed with her. He kissed her again and it was every bit as slow and sensual as the first time. She wanted to touch him too so she ran her hands over his chest and shoulders as his mouth broke away from hers and started to travel across her neck.

She wasn't sure how much time he spent kissing her; all she knew was that all of her nerve endings were going crazy; her whole body was tingling. He removed her clothes with ease and then he was back to kissing her again, exploring every inch of her skin until her body was convulsing with pleasure and she was aching with need.

"You still haven't said the words," Klaus reminded her as his lips trailed across her stomach. He was holding her thighs, trying to keep her from arching off the bed and Caroline wanted to scream or cry or maybe both. She still didn't know what he wanted to hear. She opened her mouth to tell him that and then she saw the way he was looking at her.

Caroline suddenly knew exactly what he wanted to hear as his words from earlier came back to her. He was showing her how things could be, what they could have. This was just another story, another possibility if she gave in and chose him. That was what he was waiting for. Klaus wanted her to say the words and admit that this was what she wanted; that _he_ was what she wanted.

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and Caroline quickly brushed them away. "I can't tell you what you want to hear. I'm not ready to make this decision. I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I'm sorry too, love. We were just getting to the good part." Klaus gave her that familiar smirk, but Caroline could see the disappointment in his eyes. She reached out, placing her hand over his cheek. "Is this the end?" she asked.

"Do you want it to be?"

His voice was quiet, his eyes locked on hers as he waited for her answer. Caroline didn't have to think about it; she knew there was only one thing she could say; only one thing she wanted to say. She bit into her bottom lip and shook her head. "No," she replied.

Caroline shot up in bed, clutching the blanket to her chest. The light was on again and this time, she knew for a fact that she had shut it off before she'd gone to sleep. She knew he was there and Caroline could not bring herself to look at him. It took her a few minutes to find her voice as she played with the blanket. "Why did you put that in my head?" she asked.

"I told you, sweetheart, I just wanted to show you your options," Klaus replied from the doorway. "I also wanted you to know that I'm a patient man. We've got lifetimes ahead of us. I'll be there when you're ready."

He was gone by the time she finally found the courage to turn her head. Caroline hugged her knees to her chest as the images of the dream he'd given her flashed through her mind. She knew she should be embarrassed and she probably would be the next time they were in a room together. But she couldn't deal with the sex stuff at the moment.

Her subconscious had just made an admission that she could barely grasp. Caroline had told Klaus that she didn't want things to be over between them. She was literally working behind his back with people who were trying to find a way to kill him and she had admitted that she didn't want to lose him. She couldn't even blame it on the sexual frustration of the dream. Caroline liked him. She liked the man that she was actively plotting to kill.

She didn't know what to do with that.

* * *

><p>Caroline had been calling Tyler for two days straight and he hadn't returned any of her calls or showed up at school. She was starting to worry so after her last class, she headed for the Lockwood mansion. The mayor told her that Tyler wasn't home because he was hanging out with Matt for the afternoon. Caroline headed for the Grill and Matt was working, but he told her that he hadn't talked to Tyler and they definitely hadn't made plans. Caroline knew Matt well enough to know that he was telling the truth.<p>

She sat down at one of the tables outside and tried to figure out what to do next. She was running out of places to look and as much as she hated to admit it, Caroline knew there was a real possibility that he had left town again without telling anyone. She couldn't really blame him if he had after what she'd done and a small part of her was okay with the idea of Tyler being gone, at least temporarily.

The thought made her feel guilty. Caroline loved Tyler. That was not going to change. But she had feelings for Klaus that she didn't know what to do with. It wasn't like she saw any kind of future with him; he was a murderer. He'd hurt and tortured people she cared about and Caroline could never be with him. It would be a betrayal to everyone who mattered to her. That didn't stop her from wondering if somewhere down the line, things could be different. An eternity was a long time and maybe he would change for her.

Her cell phone rang and Caroline scrambled to pull it from her purse, hoping that it was finally Tyler getting back to her. She frowned when she saw Stefan's name on the caller ID and quickly pressed the answer button, bringing the phone to her ear. "Hey Stefan, what's going on?" she asked. Caroline tried to keep her tone casual, but she knew there could only be one reason Stefan was calling her out of the blue.

"I wanted to tell you that I heard from our mutual friend today," Stefan replied, not bothering with pretense as he confirmed Caroline's suspicions. "He's almost done and he said he should be back tomorrow or the day after at the latest."

She swallowed hard. Elijah was almost finished getting whatever it was the witches needed and that meant that Klaus's time was almost up. Caroline wished she felt the relief that she was supposed to instead of the anxiety that was threatening to choke her. "Great," she said. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Caroline, are you okay?" Stefan asked.

No, she was nowhere near okay, Caroline thought as she closed her eyes and concentrated on staying calm. She didn't want to worry Stefan anymore than she probably already had. "I'm fine. I'm at the Grill," she said, hoping that knowledge would pacify him enough not to question why she wasn't giving him a more enthusiastic response.

"All right," Stefan replied and Caroline assumed that meant he was satisfied with her answer. "I'll call you if anything else comes up and you do the same," he added.

Caroline smiled. Stefan was always going to be a nice guy underneath whether he wanted to be or not. "I will. Thanks Stefan," she said. Caroline ended the call and set her phone down on the table. Elijah returning would be a good thing. It would at least bring an end to all of this.

But she couldn't ignore the guilt that sprang up over _that_ thought. Caroline knew this was a no win situation for her. If the plan worked and Klaus died, Caroline would be able to make Tyler understand why she'd done all of this and she was confident he would forgive her. But then Klaus would be dead and as much as it pained her to admit it, Caroline didn't want him to die.

Her phone buzzed again and Caroline reached for it, relieved for another distraction. She didn't recognize the number, but she saw there was a video message attached. Confused, she pushed the button and suddenly Rebekah's face filled the screen. She did not look pleased. "Get over here and clean up the mess you made before someone dies." She scowled and then shifted the phone so Caroline could see what was going on behind her.

Tyler and Klaus were standing in Klaus's den, both of them furious. "Stay away from her, do you hear me? I might not be able to kill you, but I can make you suffer. I broke your sire bond. I could teach all your other hybrids to do the same."

Caroline gasped and she was already moving as she saw Klaus taking a step closer to Tyler on the small screen. She ran as fast as she could, making it to the mansion in less than two minutes. Without bothering to wait for the maid, Caroline pushed the front door open and raced into the house just in time to see Klaus shove Tyler back against the wall and reach into his chest.

She screamed and it was enough to make Klaus turn in her direction. Caroline angrily shoved him back as Tyler gasped and limply fell to the floor. Klaus was saying something, but Caroline only cared about Tyler as she knelt down beside him. "You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay," she repeated. He had to be okay. There was no other option.

He was gasping, his head back against the wall and his eyes closed, but she could see his chest was already starting to close up, which meant his heart was still in place. Caroline held onto his shoulder as she turned to glare at Klaus. "You promised me you wouldn't hurt him. You gave me your word!" she cried. Tears spilled from her eyes and she glanced at Tyler again and saw his chest was completely closed.

"He was out of line," Klaus protested.

Caroline shook her head, cutting him off before he could try and explain himself any further. There was nothing she wanted to hear out of his mouth at this point. "You've proven that your word means less than nothing. I was wrong about you. I never should have gone against my instincts." She saw a flash of hurt cross his face, but she was too angry to care. If she hadn't gotten there in time, Tyler would be dead.

She helped him to his feet, encouraging him to lean against her while he healed. Caroline started for the door and Klaus stepped into their path. "Sweetheart," he started.

"Don't," Caroline warned. Her voice was ice cold as she met his gaze. "We're through here. Get out of my way," she ordered. He looked like he was going to protest, but then he stepped aside and Caroline helped Tyler through the foyer and out the front door. She was relieved that his car was in the driveway because she wasn't sure she'd be able to run all the way back and support him at the same time. She helped him into the passenger seat and as she pulled the car out of the driveway, she could feel Klaus's eyes on her from the porch.

Tyler didn't say much on the drive back to his house and Caroline didn't expect him to. He was able to walk on his own again and he didn't protest when she followed him inside. The house was quiet and Caroline was relieved they were able to get up to his room without running into Mayor Lockwood. He pulled off his ruined t-shirt and went to grab another one and Caroline could not take the silence anymore.

"I'm so sorry, Tyler," Caroline said. She felt like the worst person in the entire world. Tyler had already gone through hell to break his bond to Klaus and now he'd almost died because of her. She knew he'd been there trying to get Klaus to back off and that was completely on her.

"Don't apologize, Caroline," Tyler replied. He moved closer to her, reaching out to cup her cheek. "I knew that guy was crazy and I was asking for it. If he would have killed me, it would have been my fault, not yours." He was quiet for a moment, his eyes on hers. "Did you really ask him not to hurt me?"

She nodded. "I knew he'd be angry that you broke your bond so I asked him not to hurt you and he promised he wouldn't. I never should have believed him," Caroline said. She never should have believed a lot of things, but that was on her. All of this was on her. She pushed all thoughts of Klaus aside and focused on Tyler. "I love you, Tyler. That has never changed. _Ever_," she stressed.

"I love you too, Caroline," Tyler replied. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close while she buried her face in his neck. She was so grateful that he was okay. She couldn't believe she had been stupid enough to believe there was a good side to Klaus. He was nothing more than smoke and mirrors. When it came down to it, he was always going to be a murderer and he had to die. She couldn't wait for Elijah to get back.

* * *

><p>She knew he would come to her again when she fell asleep, but Caroline was ready for him this time. He opened his mouth to speak, but Caroline beat him to it. "I tried to be your friend. I was your friend," she correct herself. "But you couldn't do the one thing I asked you to do. You can spin as many fantasies and pretty futures as you want, but you're always going to be a murderer."<p>

Klaus didn't say anything for a moment and Caroline could see that he was struggling with his temper. His first instinct was to lash out, even when he was coming to her in a dream to try and ask for forgiveness. Once again, she felt foolish for ever believing there was hope for someone like him.

"It was a mistake," Klaus said finally. "He pushed me and I pushed back. I wasn't thinking, love, and I'm sorry. I know you're angry with me, but why aren't you angry with him too? He came into my house to threaten me. It's not my fault that I'm stronger than he is. He knew that when he walked through the front door."

"Maybe," Caroline conceded. Tyler had said the same thing to her, but that still didn't excuse what Klaus had done. "But we both knew that was a possibility and that's why I asked you not to hurt him and you swore to me that you wouldn't. You went back on your word to _me_, Klaus. I can't trust you after that."

"Sweetheart, I promise you that it will never happen again," Klaus said. He took a step toward her and held out his hand. "Please give me another chance to make things right with you," he urged.

"No," Caroline replied firmly and without letting him say one more word, she opened her eyes, bringing an end to the dream. She shifted against the pillow and turned to look at Tyler, surprised to see him awake and watching her. She gave him a small smile. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked.

Tyler nodded. "The blood helped and I was able to sleep for awhile." He was quiet for a moment and Caroline felt her chest tighten as she waited for him to tell her what was on his mind. She wouldn't blame him if he told her to leave or that he'd changed his mind and didn't want any part of her.

"Caroline, why were you there today?" he asked finally. "Did you have plans with him or something?"

"No," Caroline replied, grateful that she was being honest. "I was looking for you all over town and then Rebekah sent me a message and a video of you two fighting. I went there for you, Tyler."

He smiled and the lump in her throat grew when Caroline saw how happy he looked. It should never have come to this; he should never have had to question whether or not she'd chosen Klaus over him. Caroline wished she could tell him everything, but that was going to have to wait until Elijah came back and the witches got rid of Klaus for good.

"I love you," Tyler said, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her lips. He smiled at her again before he shifted back on his pillow and closed his eyes. Caroline shifted as well, resting her head against his chest as she ran her hand over him, grateful that he was there with her and that everything had turned out okay.

"I love you too," Caroline replied. She continued to stroke his chest, but she didn't close her eyes. She didn't trust Klaus not to try and get inside her head again and she didn't have the energy to deal with him at the moment. She was just going to focus on being with Tyler and not dwell on how close she'd come to losing everything because of the silly dreams she'd let herself believe in.


	9. Sleep Now in the Fire

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the feedback and alerts!**

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><p><strong>Title:<strong> I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17/M

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Sleep Now in the Fire<strong>

"I could have killed him you know."

Caroline looked up, startled, to see Klaus standing beside her table in the quiet corner of the library where she liked to go when she was hiding from her life. It had been almost a week since that fateful night Klaus had almost killed Tyler and aside from the dream he'd sent her, Caroline hadn't heard a word from him, or any other member of the Original family for that matter. The fact that he had tracked her down at school troubled her, but not as much as his words did.

"Excuse me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Did you really come here to gloat about how you could have killed Tyler?" Caroline didn't bother keeping the disgust from her voice. She was through pretending to be nice to him. He was a murderer and that was all he was going to be because he didn't want to change. She'd been foolish to believe otherwise.

"I could have killed him," Klaus repeated. He sat down on the edge of the table instead of in the other chair and Caroline barely refrained from pushing her chair back to create more space between them. But she refused to give him the satisfaction of thinking he was getting to her.

"Do you think I don't know that?" Caroline asked. Her voice was harsh and she continued to glare at him, wanting him to understand that she was not going to budge on this issue.

If Klaus was put off by her tone, he didn't show it. "You're not listening, sweetheart. I could have killed him, but I stopped because you asked me to. I was angry and I wanted to tear his heart out, but I didn't because you asked me not to."

Caroline gaped at him. "You can't be serious." He was looking at her like he wanted some kind of reward for _not_ killing Tyler. He really was insane. "Go away, Klaus. I have studying to do." She wasn't going to waste her time explaining her feelings to him again. He'd made his true colors crystal clear the second he'd gone back on his word. She was never going to be able to trust him and it didn't really matter since he'd be dead soon anyway. She refused to allow herself to feel guilty about that.

"There are no books on the table," Klaus pointed out and Caroline realized she'd never bothered to remove anything from her backpack. She'd just sat down and stared off into space. That had become her habit lately, even her mother had noticed. She was pulled from her thoughts when Klaus continued talking.

"I need you to give me another chance, sweetheart. Thousand year old habits are hard to break," he said. Caroline saw the hint of a smile on his face and the familiar gleam in his eyes and she found herself getting mad all over again.

"How can you sit there and make this into a joke?" Caroline demanded, rolling her eyes. "You almost killed the person I love and you want me to act like it's no big deal because you stopped yourself at the last minute? It's not okay, Klaus, and it never will be." She was still angry at herself for thinking that Klaus's good side could outweigh the bad. It had just been an illusion that she had fallen for like a silly teenager. That had probably been what he'd counted on.

Klaus shook his head and leaned forward, forcing Caroline to lean back in her chair despite her earlier conviction not to let him see that he was getting to her. He didn't touch her, but he was too close for her liking and as much as she hated to admit it, she was scared. He must have realized it because he pulled back and she saw what could only be described as a look of hurt cross his face.

"It was a mistake, love, and I will make it up to you even if it takes another thousand years," he said quietly, his eyes on hers. "But you need to be honest with yourself. Are you really angry with me for what happened or are you using it as an excuse to fight the feelings we both know you have?"

"How dare you?" Caroline snapped. She knew he was referring to the first dream and she hated him for throwing that in her face. "That dream was a lie just like everything else. You'll say and do anything to get what you want."

"Yes," Klaus replied without hesitation. His eyes were still on hers and as much as she wanted to look away, she couldn't. "I've never denied who I am, love. I made a promise to you and I went back on my word and I'm truly sorry for that. But everything else that is true about me has never wavered. You've always known who I am."

He was right. Caroline had always known that he was selfish and that he would kill people without thinking twice. He didn't value anyone's life above his own and he'd made no secret of that. He'd shown her a softer side of himself, but it was her fault that she'd allowed him to blind her with tales of what the future could hold in store for them.

"I can't be your friend after you tried to kill Tyler. I don't want to be," Caroline told him. It was the truth, but her voice was lacking the harshness and venom it had held earlier as most of her rage was transferred back to herself. She'd told herself over and over again that she couldn't lose sight of who Klaus truly was and she'd done it anyway. She was every bit as guilty for what had almost happened to Tyler as Klaus was.

"Someday I hope you'll give me a chance to make this up to you, love. But I want you to remember that even though I almost went back on my promise, I didn't kill him because you asked me not to. There's no one else I would have stopped for," Klaus told her. He held her gaze for a moment and then he disappeared without another word, leaving Caroline blinking in confusion as the familiar ball built inside her chest.

Klaus had made it clear that he wasn't going to give up, but it didn't sound like he was going to keep harassing her either. Why would he when he thought they had all the time in the world? Caroline knew he was probably picturing them together in fifty years when she finally got around to forgiving him. The stubborn part of her wanted to say that she never would, but considering she had never imagined she'd feel anything for him other than loathing and disgust before she'd started to actually _like_ him, Caroline knew better than to judge what was going to happen in the future.

Except Klaus didn't have a future. Elijah might not have gotten in touch with her, but Caroline knew he was still working on whatever the plan was to kill Klaus. She wanted to be relieved that all of this would be done and over for good, but that nagging part of her refused to let go of the guilt that was threatening to tear her in two. Klaus needed to die; he needed to be stopped, but how was she supposed to live the next thousand years knowing that she'd played a role in it?

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><p>Caroline did her best to put Klaus and the guilt out of her head over the next few days. The dance was less than a week away and she threw all her energy into the final preparations. School had ended two hours earlier, but she was still in the gym with Elena and Tyler, surveying the decorations that the committee had picked out. She'd wanted to do a trial run and even though he'd grumbled, Tyler had put them all up so she could look at them. They were pretty, but something seemed off.<p>

Elena glanced at Tyler, raising an eyebrow and he just shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. Elena gave him a dirty look and then forced a smile onto her face as she moved closer to Caroline, resting a hand on her arm. "Caroline, you've been staring at the room for fifteen minutes and you haven't said a word. Do you like them or not?" she asked.

"I do, but something is off and it's driving me crazy," Caroline replied, not looking away from the far wall that she'd been scrutinizing. She knew her friends were not happy to be there, but she needed this to be perfect. She also didn't need a psychiatrist to tell her why it was so important that she get everything perfect. Her whole life was spinning out of control, but this was the one thing that she could fix. She could control every detail of the dance and she was going to do just that, even if she had to spend the next four hours looking at a wall.

"Maybe a break would help," Tyler suggested as he moved to stand on Caroline's other side. "We could go to the Grill, have dinner and then come back here and you'll probably know exactly what's wrong."

The door behind them opened before Caroline had a chance to respond and all three of them turned around to watch Elijah walk into the gym. Caroline's first thought was how ridiculously out of place he looked in a high school gym. Elijah wore one of his usual expensive suits and he looked as polished as ever and it was just so wrong to see him in the gym amidst all the silly decorations.

Her second thought was that if Elijah was seeking her out in a place where he didn't belong and anyone could see him, that must mean that he had everything he needed. Or maybe it was already done and he was coming to tell them that Klaus was dead. Caroline felt the lump rising in her throat and she tried to find her voice, but it wouldn't come to her.

Elena sensed Caroline's hesitation and she could see Tyler looking at all of them with confusion, so she figured she'd better say something before Tyler started asking questions that Caroline couldn't answer. "Elijah, were you looking for me?" she asked. Elena assumed he'd been looking for Caroline, but she knew he didn't want Tyler involved in the plan so she would just suggest they go somewhere else to talk and then she'd fill Caroline in later.

"I came to inform Caroline that I had returned to town but since you're all here, I will give you the update and I trust you will convey the information to Stefan," Elijah replied. He paused to let Elena respond, but Tyler spoke first.

"What the hell is going on?" Tyler demanded. "Why would you have to update Caroline on anything? Or Stefan?" he asked. His brow furrowed in confusion as he looked between the two of them before his eyes settled on Caroline. "Caroline?" he asked.

She didn't know what to say. Elijah seemed to be okay with talking about the plan in front of Tyler, which didn't make any sense since he'd specifically told her not to say anything. "Tyler, I…" Caroline sent a look in Elijah's direction, not sure what he wanted her to do. "Did you change your mind about me telling him or is the plan already taken care of?" she asked.

"Rebekah explained what happened when Tyler came to the mansion to see Niklaus. I believe his sire bond is broken and that we may speak freely in front of him," Elijah replied. He gave them a look that said that was all the explanation they were getting and then he continued talking. "I've located everything that Bonnie and the others need for the spell and it will take place on the next full moon."

Elena's eyes widened. "That's next week," she said.

Elijah nodded. "As of now, there is still no option to kill Niklaus permanently since he made the change to hybrid." He paused and for a moment, his own regrets were written all over his face before his expression became neutral once more. "The spell is a powerful one and it is a binding spell similar to the one that kept Mikael imprisoned for all those years. I want to thank you again for your help, Caroline," he said.

She swallowed hard as his words swam through her head. Caroline had a lot of questions, but she didn't think it was the right time to ask them. "I didn't really do anything. I haven't even seen Klaus since he almost killed Tyler." The lie slipped out of her mouth easily and Caroline hated herself a little for it. But she'd seen no reason to tell anyone that Klaus had sought her out. She didn't want to make things worse than they already were.

"You were an integral part of the plan and I thank you for that," Elijah replied. He shifted his gaze to Elena. "May I have a few moments of your time?" he asked.

"Of course," Elena replied. She gave Tyler and Caroline a tight smile and then picked up her purse. Elijah nodded his goodbye to the couple and then walked toward the doors with Elena at his side. As soon as they were gone, Tyler moved so he was standing in front of Caroline. His eyes were wide when they met hers.

"He's planning to kill Klaus and you've been helping him. Is that the real reason you were spending time with him?" Tyler asked.

Caroline nodded. "I wanted to tell you but Elijah was worried your sire bond wasn't really broken and you might be obligated to tell Klaus. I'm sorry, Tyler. I never meant to keep anything from you." She felt sick saying the words and knowing that she was still keeping something from him. She was keeping something from everyone; something she barely acknowledged herself and now she had no idea what she was supposed to do with it.

"I don't care," Tyler replied. He laughed as he pulled Caroline into his arms, hugging her tight. "I'm sorry I was such an ass. I should have known that you'd never want anything to do with Klaus."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him hold her even though she felt like the worst person in the entire world for allowing him and everyone else to believe that was the truth.

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><p>Caroline tried to lie to herself as she walked through the cemetery toward Fell's Tomb. She wanted to pretend that it was just one of her nightly walks and there was no other reason that she was out there other than the fact that she couldn't sleep. But she was long past the point where she could pull it off. The full moon was going to rise in less than a week and then the witches would be able to imprison Klaus in a tomb. She still didn't really understand the mechanics of the spell and it wasn't like it mattered. Tyler was ecstatic as was Stefan. Even Elena was smiling more and Caroline knew that she should be too.<p>

But there was no escaping the guilt that she felt. All the conversations she'd had with Klaus since that first night he'd come into her room and saved her life seemed to be playing on an endless loop in her head. She saw the good and she saw the terrible and her conscious couldn't decide to just let go, no matter how much she told it to. There was nothing she could do at this point. The spell would happen and Klaus would die or sort of die. It was the right thing for all of them. The world would be a safer place with Klaus neutralized.

So why was she walking through the cemetery hoping to see him? Caroline mentally berated herself for being so weak. What did she think was going to happen? It wasn't like she could warn Klaus. If she did that, she would literally be betraying every single person in her life to save a murderer. He had almost let her die once. Collateral damage, he'd called her. But that was before they had known each other.

Caroline heard a rustling and even before she turned around, she knew it wasn't him. Klaus never made noise; he just appeared, the same way Elijah did. Her eyes met Rebekah's and Caroline was suddenly scared and irritated by her own stupidity. Rebekah could kill her without blinking and if the Original had somehow figured out what was happening, that was probably exactly what she was there to do.

"Cheerleaders shouldn't hang out in graveyards," Rebekah commented, not giving Caroline a chance to respond. "Nik is still sulking and I know Elijah is up to something that involves you. I can torture you until you tell me," she said. The look on her face told Caroline that she would do it and enjoy every second of it.

"I have no idea what Elijah does with his time and maybe Klaus shouldn't have tried to kill Tyler," Caroline replied. She was amazed that her voice sounded as strong as it did when her insides were shaking.

Rebekah gave her a look that clearly said she wasn't impressed. "For whatever reason, my brother likes you and he listens to you." She made a face. "But if there's any way for you to stop whatever is going to happen, you need to do it. Please," she added.

The uncharacteristic plea made Caroline's mouth fall open. She'd never thought she'd see the day where Rebekah would ask her for anything. But Caroline knew that she was close to Klaus and she obviously had some idea what Elijah was doing. "Why don't you warn him?" she suggested.

"He wouldn't believe me," Rebekah replied. She took a step closer and Caroline automatically moved back, not realizing how close she was to the tomb. Her back was against the wall and she knew she might be able to run fast, but Rebekah was an Original and she would catch her if she tried to flee.

"He'll believe you," Rebekah said and Caroline heard the urgency in her voice. "I don't know what's supposed to happen, but if you can stop it, you need to. If you care about my brother at all, you have to stop this."

Caroline opened her mouth to tell her that there was nothing to stop, but Rebekah was gone before she had a chance to lie. She slumped back against the wall of the tomb, rubbing her hand over her chest as she tried to calm down. She knew it had probably taken a lot for Rebekah to seek her out and as much as Caroline wanted to ignore her, she couldn't help thinking that maybe she was right.

Maybe she was supposed to stop this before it was too late for Klaus.

* * *

><p>"The dance was fun, right?" Caroline asked. She shifted against Tyler's chest so she could glance up at him. "Everyone seemed to have a good time. No one died so that was new," she said, attempting to make a joke, but not quite pulling it off. Tyler had been quiet since they'd gotten to his place and it was making her nervous. She was trying to make small talk to get him to open up, but he still had that far off look in his eyes.<p>

"It was fun and everyone loved it," Tyler assured her. He ran his hand over her hair and Caroline leaned into him, taking comfort in his touch. The full moon was in three days and she still hadn't figured out what she was going to do, if anything. She was trying not to think about it, but the more she tried, the more the thoughts plagued her.

"Caroline, I need to ask you something," Tyler said, bringing her out of her thoughts. She shifted again so she was sitting up and ignored the panic in her chest. He looked at her for a moment. "There's more to the story than just you helping to distract Klaus, isn't there?"

It should have been the last thing she'd ever expect him to say, but instead, it was _exactly_ what she'd been afraid of. She'd tried to deny it, but Caroline had suspected that Tyler was thinking about Klaus, or her and Klaus, and why shouldn't he be when it was all she could think about? Caroline didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't want to lie to him either. She felt like she'd already done that enough for several lifetimes.

"Yes," Caroline admitted. She saw the hurt in Tyler's eyes, but he didn't say anything and she knew he was giving her a chance to explain. "It started out simply enough. I wanted Klaus gone so that you and Elena and everyone else would be safe so I agreed to help Elijah. But then I started spending time with him and he was different." She closed her eyes for a moment, squeezing back the tears that wanted to fall.

"He made me see things that I'd never thought of," Caroline said. "Do you remember when we talked about what our lives would be like since we're going to look like this forever? Klaus painted a different picture of what the world would be like and it was appealing. He painted himself into it and at some point, I saw him there too. But Tyler, I swear to you that I've never stopped loving you. I'm always going to choose you," she insisted.

Tyler was quiet for a long time and Caroline wished she could hear what he was thinking. He wasn't touching her anymore, but he wasn't moving away from her either. She felt like she should apologize again, but she wanted to give him time to process everything she'd said. Caroline hadn't wanted to hurt him, but telling the truth was long overdue.

"I suspected as much," he said finally. His expression was impossible to read and there was a part of her that wished he'd get angry and yell at her because it would be better to have him mad than hurt. But Caroline knew that she didn't get to decide on his reaction and this wasn't about easing her guilt. It was about being honest with the person she loved, no matter how difficult it was.

"You weren't relieved when Elijah told us what was happening," Tyler said. "You were relieved about telling me what was going on, but that was it. You weren't happy that Klaus was going to die. Hell, Elena cracked a smile more than once, but you didn't. That's when I knew you had feelings for him."

Her chest ached and the tears welled in her eyes again, but Caroline ignored them. "Tyler, I never meant for any of this to happen. I don't want to feel anything for him. I'm not even sure what I do feel. But I love _you_," Caroline stressed, desperate for him to believe her. "I need to know that you know that."

"I do," Tyler replied. He didn't hesitate and Caroline was relieved by that, but it didn't last long. "I love you too, Caroline, and I would do anything for you, but I don't know how I'm supposed to just sit back and let my girlfriend pine over a psycho." Tyler's voice cracked on the last words and Caroline couldn't hold back the tears. They spilled down her cheeks and she tried to brush them aside, but Tyler's hand closed over hers before she could.

"I hate Klaus. I think he would destroy your life and the idea of you being with him kills me, Caroline. It's literally the worst pain I've ever felt. I want to beg you to choose me and just let Elijah get him out of our lives once and for all. But at the same time, I don't want you to choose me because I'm your only option. I want you to choose me because I'm the one that you want. If this works and Klaus ends up more or less dead…" His voice trailed off for a moment and he glanced down before meeting her eyes again. "I'm always going to wonder if I was who you really wanted to be with."

His admission felt like a slap across the face, but Caroline knew that wasn't his intention. He was being honest with her. She hated the thought of him always wondering and not trusting her. She tried to imagine if the situation was reversed and Tyler had just told her that he had unresolved feelings for Rebekah. Jealousy tightened in her stomach, but Caroline pushed it aside and tried to look at things rationally. She could understand where Tyler was coming from.

"The only way to stop this would be to warn Klaus," Caroline told him quietly. "Is that what you're saying I should do?" she asked.

Tyler shook his head. "I'm not telling you what to do, Caroline. If it were up to me, I'd say good riddance. But this is about what you want. Are you going to be able to live with yourself for the next thousand or so years if he dies because of you?"

Caroline didn't say anything. She doubted Tyler was looking for an answer as much as he was trying to make sure she was looking at the entire picture. She watched him for a moment, thinking about the old Tyler and how he would have reacted to this situation. He probably would have yelled and walked out on her. "You've changed," she commented quietly.

"It was time to grow up," Tyler replied. He brushed a few more stray tears from her cheeks and let his hand linger against her skin. "I love you, Caroline, but I'm not going to spend an eternity playing 'what if' because you don't want to make a choice. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who's sorry." Caroline shifted back into to rest her head on his chest and she was relieved when she felt him wrap his arms around her. She doubted she was going to sleep anytime soon, but she was grateful that Tyler was there. Caroline was proud of him for everything he had done and she knew he had done all of it for her.

Tyler was right. It wasn't fair of her to choose him because there was no second option and she needed to figure out if that was what she was doing. But Caroline still didn't know if she could tell Klaus what Elijah was planning. She knew that would start and war and there would be no winners.

Would she be able to live with herself if she just stood back and let it happen? Was Tyler right? Would there always be an uncertainty between them? Caroline didn't want that. The truth was that she didn't want Klaus to die either. But would she be able to live with herself if he survived and more people died because she'd been weak?

Caroline had no answers.


	10. Watch Me Burn

**Author's Note: I cannot thank you enough for all your wonderful comments and feedback along the way as well as all the story alerts and favorites. I'm really happy you enjoyed the journey and I hope the ending lives up to your expectations. Thank you.**

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><p><strong>Title:<strong> I Threw Us into the Flames

**Author: **ihearttvsnark

**Chapters:** 10

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries

**Pairings:** Caroline and Tyler, Caroline and Klaus

**Rating: **NC-17/M

**Summary:** Caroline agrees to be a pawn in the plot to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but she begins to have doubts when he shows her that there's more to him than meets the eye. Tyler returns to town to reclaim Caroline's heart, complicating things even further and forcing her to make a choice that could literally mean life or death.

**Warnings:** **Spoilers** through **_3.14 Dangerous Liaisons_** and then this will be AU. I want to stress that this is a **triangle** fic and both couples will be represented strongly so if you only like one, you might not want to read this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Watch Me Burn<strong>

Caroline knew showing up at the mansion was a risk, but it was a risk she needed to take. She'd called Elena and asked her to distract Elijah; something her friend had been apprehensive about, but had agreed to quickly even though Caroline had refused to answer her questions. She hadn't told Tyler her intentions either, but Caroline doubted he would be surprised after the conversation they'd had the night of the dance. She'd done nothing but ask herself questions since then and now it was time to get some answers.

The maid opened the door and Caroline thought she caught a glimpse of Rebekah in the upstairs hallway, but when she looked again, the landing was empty. Caroline knew it didn't matter if Rebekah overheard their conversation since she was already suspicious. Caroline walked toward the den and saw Klaus sitting in his usual spot with his sketchpad. He'd obviously heard her coming and somehow knew it was her because his eyes met hers the second she crossed the threshold into the room.

"I need to ask you something." Caroline didn't bother with pretense or small talk. There was literally no time for that. She had no idea how long Elena would be able to keep Elijah distracted and if he found her here, he'd know she wasn't fully onboard with the plan and she had no idea how he'd react to that. She really didn't want to find out.

"You can ask me anything, love. You know that." Klaus set his sketchpad down and motioned to the couch across from him, but Caroline was too restless to sit down.

"What if I asked you to never make another hybrid? What if I made you promise that you'd never take Elena's blood again and that you wouldn't start draining one of her descendents in a few hundred years? Would you agree?" Caroline fired off the questions without pause, her eyes on his face so she didn't miss a single nuance of his reaction.

"That's quite a request," Klaus commented. "You know how important my hybrids are to me. I need them for protection. I have a lot of enemies."

"Whose fault is that?" Caroline retorted. She wanted to tell him that he had a dangerous enemy that his hybrids wouldn't be able to protect him from, but she wasn't ready to do that yet. She might never be ready to do that. But no matter what, she wanted an answer from him.

"Elena is my best friend," she reminded him coolly. "I don't want her to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder and wondering if you're going to pop out of the shadows and hurt her."

Klaus watched her for a moment, the expression on his face unchanging and giving nothing away. She felt like she should be nervous about this, but she wasn't. Maybe it was naïve, but Caroline didn't believe that he would hurt her.

"Will you be with me?" Klaus asked after what felt like a small eternity. This time Caroline saw hopefulness on his face and there was a part of her that couldn't resist reacting to that. Maybe it was twisted, but it made her feel special that he wanted to take her places and show her the world. She did her best to ignore that part though; she knew she needed to remain rational and objective or she was never going to be able to make a decision.

"What if I said yes to your question?" Caroline countered. "Let's say that I agree to travel the world with you and do all those things you told me about. Is that what it would take for you to leave Elena alone?" she asked.

Once again, he didn't answer right away, but this time, Caroline could practically see him weighing the pros and cons of having her instead of his hybrids. Klaus caught her eye and he nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "If you were by my side, I'd leave Elena and the future generations of doppelgangers alone."

"Okay," Caroline said. She'd expected that answer and she was ready for it. "How do you know you won't get bored with me?" she challenged. "Maybe when we hit the ten year mark or the fifteen year mark and you decide that you're done with me. What's to stop you from going after Elena then? Or how do I know you won't hurt other people in the process? Look at what you did to Tyler after you promised me you wouldn't hurt him."

She saw a flash of anger on Klaus's face, but Caroline wasn't going to back down. It was easy for him to say that he would agree to terms, but she'd already seen how quickly he could change his mind. "You're the one who wanted my forgiveness," she reminded him. "These are questions I need answers to."

"I cannot predict the future, but I can give you my word," Klaus replied. "I will leave Elena alone and I won't make any more hybrids if you are by my side."

"But how do you know I'll be enough for you?" Caroline asked. This was the question she needed answered the most. "It's great that you can sit there and promise me things I want to hear, but what's to stop you from getting bored with me and snapping my neck one day?"

His mouth fell open and Caroline knew her words had hurt him. "You always think the worst of me, love. Why would you consider leaving with me when you think so little of me?"

"Because I know there's another side to you," Caroline replied. She moved away from the doorway and walked past his chair, picking up the sketchpad he'd set on the table. "There's a side to you that I like and can see myself traveling the world with but I need to know that side will win out in the end." She flipped through the drawings, smiling when she saw several of herself.

Klaus reached out, his hand closing over hers. Caroline looked up from the sketches and saw the rare vulnerability in his eyes. She hesitated for a moment and then leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was even better than it had been in her dream. His mouth moved slowly against hers as he brought his hand up to tangle in her hair. She opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss, but when Caroline felt him trying to tug her down into his lap, she resisted and pulled back.

"You need to run before the full moon." The words left her mouth quickly and Caroline had no idea if she was making the right decision, but it was too late to take it back. She saw him open his mouth, but she shook her head. "I'm not going to tell you anymore than that. If you want to live, you need to leave Mystic Falls before the full moon."

His expression darkened and she felt his hand tighten around hers. "Why would I do that? Who's coming after me?" Klaus demanded.

Caroline shook her head again and pulled her arm away; relieved when he let go of her. "This is your chance to prove to me what kind of man you really are. I need to go. You don't have a lot of time." She hurried out of the room and this time, she knew without a doubt that she saw Rebekah on the landing. The Original nodded at her, but Caroline just kept walking.

She might have just made the biggest mistake of her life.

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><p>"You did what?" Elena cried. Her eyes widened to the point Caroline genuinely worried they might pop out of her head. Once she'd left Klaus, Caroline hadn't wanted to go home. She'd needed to talk to someone and she'd assumed if anyone would understand why she'd done what she'd done, it would be Elena. But judging by the look her friend was giving her, Caroline realized she might have miscalculated her friend's level of compassion on the subject.<p>

"I didn't tell Klaus what the plan was or who was behind it. I only warned him that there was a need for him to get out of town. I know it was a risk, Elena, but I couldn't let him die." Her voice hitched and for a moment, Caroline worried that all the tears she'd been holding in were finally going to come out. But she forced herself to calm down.

Elena continued to stare at her like she'd grown a second head, but then her expression softened, realization setting in. "You have feelings for him," she said. "Caroline…" Elena paused and shook her head, dropping the judgmental tone. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not being a good friend, but I need a minute to process this."

"I know the feeling," Caroline replied dryly. She was still coming to grips with it so she couldn't really blame Elena for needing a minute. Caroline also wouldn't blame her if Elena got angry with her. Klaus was a threat to her and everyone she cared about and Caroline might have just made things worse for everyone.

Elena reached for her hand, pulling Caroline from her guilt ridden thoughts as she gave her a small smile. "You can talk to me, Caroline. I've made such a mess of things with Stefan and Damon and I'm the one who brought all of this into our lives in the first place. Tell me what's going on," she urged.

Caroline told her everything. She told her about how Klaus had shown her a different side of himself. She told her about how appealing the lifestyle he'd offered was. She even told her about the dreams he had sent her, before and after he'd almost killed Tyler. Finally, Caroline explained what had happened when she'd gone to the mansion earlier, including that she had initiated the kiss between them.

"Wow," Elena said softly as she tried to take everything in. "Do you believe him?" she asked. "Do you believe that he'll really leave me and everyone else alone because you asked him to?"

"No," Caroline replied. She _wanted_ to believe that Klaus was capable of changing, but she wasn't going to be naïve about it. He'd told her himself that habits were hard to break and she didn't really believe that he would give up being the bad guy because it was what she wanted. But even knowing that hadn't stopped her from telling him that he was in danger. "I don't know what's going to happen, Elena. But I didn't want him to die."

"I understand," Elena said quietly. She doubted she would ever see what Caroline did in Klaus, but she really did understand where her friend was coming from. Stefan and Damon had both done terrible things, by choice, and she'd still stood behind them and she had every intention of continuing to do so. Maybe they were all selfish, but it was too late to do anything about it now. "Do you have any idea what he'll do?"

"None," Caroline replied. She hoped he would just leave town and safe himself, but she was worried that he would stay and fight and take revenge on all the people who had worked against him. She knew he couldn't do much to Elijah, aside from putting a dagger in his heart again, but he could try to run with Elena or he could hurt Bonnie or Stefan or Tyler. Her chest tightened at the thought. "How did this happen, Elena? Why?" she whispered. That was the real question. Why had she allowed herself to feel anything for someone who was the epitome of danger?

The dam inside of her broke and all the emotion she'd been holding onto since this started came flooding out. Caroline's entire body shook as tears poured down her face. She tried to speak, but all she could do was sob. Elena hurried around the counter, pulling Caroline toward her and holding her tightly. Caroline could hear Elena whispering soothing words and trying to calm her down, but she just tuned them out and cried until she didn't have any tears left to shed.

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><p>Elena had offered to let her spend the night. She'd suggested they have an old-fashioned sleepover and drown themselves in ice cream and romantic comedies. Even though she'd been tempted, Caroline had decided to head home instead. All hell could break loose at any moment and she wanted some time to herself before that happened. Maybe then she'd be able to find a way to explain why she'd betrayed everyone.<p>

Her mom was working late that night and Caroline was relieved. She loved her mom and Caroline was happy that she was finally taking a more active role in her life, but she knew Liz would take one look at her and know something was wrong and she really didn't want to start crying again. Caroline headed straight for her room with every intention of crawling into bed, but she stopped short, nearly falling over herself when she spotted Klaus sitting on her bed, holding her teddy bear.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked. She couldn't help being a little afraid even though she didn't think he would hurt her. But she'd been wrong about him before. "Does this mean that you're not going to leave town?"

Klaus set the bear down beside her pillow and got to his feet. "No, love, I am leaving town. My mother and Finn have already left, Kol has disappeared and Elijah is plotting my demise so it's time for Rebekah and me to make our exits." He paused and Caroline knew he was probably giving her time to react to him knowing about Elijah, but she didn't say anything. None of that explained why he was standing in her room.

"Would you like to come with us?" Klaus asked. "I should warn you that things might not be pleasant at first. We'll need to disappear because I'm sure my brother will come looking for us and Rebekah is not thrilled with the idea of hiding again, but she doesn't want to stay behind either. But after awhile, Elijah will move onto something else and we can start in Paris like we talked about. What do you say?"

Her mouth fell open. Caroline didn't understand how Klaus could be so nonchalant about the whole thing, like it was no big deal that he was going to be running for his life and taking his sister with him. But the fact that he wanted her to come and he was talking like they could have the fantasy he'd painted for her, frightened her. Caroline wondered if he was completely insane.

"Do you hear yourself?" Caroline asked quietly. "How can you not take this seriously? They found a way to stop you. Do you really think they wouldn't track you down if you took me with you?"

"Not if you came by choice," Klaus replied. He took a step closer to her and Caroline remained still, her eyes on his face. He looked serious and in control and she was more confused than ever. But he kept talking before she had a chance to say anything. "Sweetheart, by leaving town, I'm leaving the doppelganger. I won't be making anymore hybrids or killing anyone. I'll just be starting over with my sister and hopefully with you too. Will you come with us?" he asked again.

Caroline took a step forward and placed her hand on his chest, over his heart. "I can't do that. I don't want to do that." She saw a flash of hurt in his eyes, but he didn't interrupt her. "I feel something for you and that's why I warned you. I couldn't just stand by and let you die. But I don't want to run away with you either. You scare me. Your life scares me. But even more than that, I love Tyler. I'm happy with Tyler and I'm not giving him up. I'm sorry," she added.

Klaus brought his hand up and placed it over hers. "I knew that would be your answer, love," he said softly. Caroline heard something in his voice, a sadness that she'd never heard before and it made her chest tight. He shook his head when he saw her open her mouth. "Someday, you will change your mind. You'll want more than this town and these people. When that day comes, I'll be waiting and I'll be the man you need." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her skin softly, letting his lips linger there. "Goodbye for now, Caroline," he said.

Tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them and Caroline swallowed hard, struggling to find her voice. "Goodbye, Klaus," she replied. She wasn't going to make any promises; she couldn't. This was the way things needed to be, the way they were supposed to be.

He released her hand, his eyes still on hers and then he was gone.

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><p>It was almost midnight when Tyler opened the door for her at the Lockwood mansion after she'd texted him and told him that she was coming over. He raised an eyebrow at her, lifting his finger to his lips and Caroline nodded, understanding that he was warning her that his mother was asleep. She followed him inside and up the stairs to his room. The light was on and the bed was made so Caroline assumed Tyler hadn't been sleeping when he'd gotten her message. She doubted he'd slept anymore than she had lately.<p>

Tyler closed the door and turned around to face her, his eyes filled with questions and confusion. Caroline wasn't really sure where to start. She wanted to be completely honest with Tyler, just like she'd been honest with Klaus. But she wasn't sure Tyler would be able to forgive her for what she'd done and she knew if he couldn't, that would be on her. All of this was her fault and she needed to accept responsibility for it.

"I went to see Klaus earlier today and I told him that if he wanted to live, he needed to leave town before the full moon. I didn't tell him who was involved in the plan or anything like that, but I warned him that he was in danger."

She saw Tyler's jaw clench, but he simply nodded like he knew there was a lot more to the story. "I went to see Elena after that and when I got home, Klaus was waiting for me in my room. He'd figured out that Elijah was after him and he was going to run away with Rebekah. He asked me to go with them."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Is that supposed to be some kind of dream life for you? Running all the time with the psycho and his sister who hates you while his brother hunts him down? That guy is a real piece of work," he muttered, scowling.

"He said it wouldn't be that way forever and sooner or later he'd be able to show me the world the way he'd promised," Caroline said. Her chest tightened and she knew she was going to hurt Tyler with what she was about to say, but she needed to get it out. "There's a part of me that wants that life, Tyler. I never really pictured myself outside of Mystic Falls, but there's a whole world out there," she said.

"That doesn't mean you need to see it with him," Tyler replied harshly. "He's a murderer, Caroline. He killed me and then used me to hurt you. How could you ever think about being with someone like that?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Caroline replied. Tears welled in her eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day and she quickly reached up to brush them away. "Maybe the whole thing is a fantasy and the role Klaus cast himself in will never come to be. He couldn't promise me that he'd never hurt anyone again. He's showing a sign of good faith by leaving town without Elena, but he didn't make any guarantees."

"What if he had?" Tyler asked. His expression was hard, but Caroline could see the pain in his eyes and she hated that she was the cause of that. "What if he had promised you that Elena would be safe and I'd be safe and Bonnie and everyone else and you actually believed him? Would you have left with him then?"

"No," Caroline replied. She hesitantly took a step forward, but she didn't reach out to him, not sure she had that right at the moment or if she would ever have it again. "Tyler, I don't know what I'm going to want in fifty years. I don't know what I'm going to want in two years. Neither do you," she pointed out.

He opened his mouth, but Caroline shook her head. "No, Tyler," she said. "There's no way of knowing. Even if we weren't going to be around for a very long time, there's still no way of predicting the future or how much we're going to change over the next few years. We might be in the bodies of seventeen year olds for the rest of our lives, but that doesn't mean we're always going to be the people we are now."

Tyler was quiet for a moment and Caroline could see that her words were sinking in. She took another step closer to him and this time, she did reach out and rested her hand on his cheek. He held her gaze before he turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Okay," he agreed. "So we might not be the same people in fifty years or two years. But what does all this mean?"

"The fantasy life Klaus painted was beautiful and it was tempting, but I told him that the real reason that I was not going to run away with him was you. I love _you_, Tyler. I love you and I was not about to leave you. Small town life might not be ideal for someone like Klaus who has been alive for a thousand years and maybe we'll grow tired of it too. But right now, all I want is to be a high school senior who is ridiculously in love with a handsome football player. Is that too much to ask for?"

She tried to make the question sound like a tease, but Caroline couldn't quite pull off the light tone. She knew she'd hurt Tyler and there was a good chance he would tell her to get out and never come back. He had every right to do that and maybe she deserved to be alone at this point. But her love for him had never wavered, no matter what it was that she felt for Klaus.

Tyler stepped forward, placing his hand on her hip and pulling her closer to him. "I love you too, Caroline. I hate that Klaus got inside your head and I hate that there's a part of you that feels anything for him. I'm glad he's gone and I hope he never comes back. I'm not going to pretend like this didn't happen but I'm not going to waste time being angry about it either. I want to be with you," he said.

Caroline grinned, even as more tears slipped down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Tyler's neck and he hugged her tightly against him before he lifted her off her feet and spun her in a circle. Caroline giggled, her hands tightening around him. "Thank you for trusting me to handle this, Tyler. I love you," she said again as she leaned closer and pressed her lips against his.

"I love you too," Tyler replied. He kissed her again and Caroline felt some of the tension she'd been holding onto for weeks finally slipping away. She knew at this moment that this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

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><p><strong>Epilogue: Like a Moth to a Flame<strong>

It was her thirtieth birthday or it would have been, had she not been immortalized as a seventeen year old. When she'd been younger, Caroline had always thought of thirty as the age where she'd officially stop being young. She'd always imagined she'd be happily married by then and would've had one or two kids. She would have been the cool mom, of course, the one who let all the kids play at her house when she wasn't throwing lavish parties to celebrate the town. She would have been the head of all the committees and her husband would have been a prominent Mystic Falls citizen. Maybe he would have been a surgeon or a lawyer or possibly even the mayor.

She'd let go of that particular fantasy around the time of what would have been her eighteenth birthday. At first she had let it go since she'd known she was dead and dead people didn't get to be mothers or influential townspeople. But then she'd seen a different future, one that told her that she could still do whatever she wanted and the world was hers for the taking. True, she'd never get to be a mother and some days that hurt more than others, but Caroline had realized she could have the rest of it if it was what she wanted. She had her whole immortal life ahead of her and there was no reason she couldn't choose that particular life if it turned out to be what she wanted.

Caroline had stayed in Mystic Falls with her mom and her friends while she'd attended the nearby university. She'd changed her major twelve times over the course of her first two years before she'd finally settled on business courses. It wasn't the most appealing major, but as Stefan had pointed out, it made sense because she could use a business degree to get her foot in the door pretty much anywhere she wanted to. He was right of course, but Stefan had always been wise like that. Caroline wondered if future generations would think _she_ was wise when she got to be over one hundred years old. She wrinkled her nose at the thought. Even though age was officially irrelevant, she still didn't like to think about the bigger numbers.

She'd moved to New York with Elena the year they both would have turned twenty-two. Caroline had tried to convince Bonnie to come to, but she'd been happy in Mystic Falls and she also ended up being the first of them to get engaged. Caroline had always thought it would be her. Okay, technically, she'd thought it would be Elena and Matt, but once Elena had started dating vampires, Caroline figured she'd be the first to get engaged and married. But she was happy for Bonnie because her friend was happy and she had a man who loved her and it made Caroline feel good to know that sometimes things worked out the way they were supposed to.

It had taken awhile for her and Elena to adjust to life in New York City, but after a year, they were old pros at riding the subway and dealing with the constant rush of people and the never ending noise. Caroline loved every minute of it and Elena liked it as much as Elena Gilbert liked anything. Caroline knew she'd stayed for her and she'd appreciated that. But by the time they would have both turned twenty-five, Elena had opted for a smaller city and had moved to Boston and taken a job as a guidance counselor. They'd both laughed at the irony of Elena of all people helping others make decisions, but she truly was a compassionate person and she was a good listener. Caroline knew that better than most.

Caroline had gone through jobs the same way she'd gone through majors until she started working for an interior design firm. By the time she would have turned twenty-seven, she'd opened her own business and she helped people decorate their homes for a living. Her friends teased her about taking her dance committee responsibilities to a whole new extreme, but Caroline didn't care. She loved every minute of it.

Two weeks before she would have turned thirty, Caroline woke up feeling something she hadn't felt in years: the urge to start all over again. She loved her job and her city and her friends, but it was time for something new. She'd called Elena and woke her up at four-thirty in the morning to tell her to get a passport because she knew what she wanted to do for her birthday. While her friend hadn't been thrilled with the wakeup call, she'd agreed and told Caroline to call her at a reasonable hour.

The two of them, along with Elena's husband, had flown to Paris two days before Caroline's birthday. He'd offered to stay behind because he was mannered that way, but Caroline had wanted him to come. She'd been tempted to invite more of their friends as well, but somehow, that didn't seem right. Caroline planned on dropping into Mystic Falls to catch up with the people who were still there when she returned to the States. For now, it was just the three of them in Paris and for the first time in her life, she was standing on the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower.

Paris was even more stunning than she'd imagined. Caroline loved New York and she'd saved a ton of money for her high rise apartment with the amazing view, but seeing Paris spread before her took her breath away. She stayed in the same spot for a long time, watching the sunset and the lights turn on across the city. She felt like she had a permanent smile on her face and when she heard someone move to stand beside her, Caroline imagined her heart skipping a beat, if it still had the ability to do that.

He looked exactly the same which wasn't surprising given what they were. She looked the same too except she'd cut her hair shorter and she wore her makeup differently to make herself look a little bit older than her seventeen year old body. His blue eyes twinkled when they met hers and she saw the hint of a smirk on his lips, but for once, she didn't have the urge to slap it off. "Klaus," she said simply.

"Hello sweetheart," Klaus replied. He didn't say anything for a moment and she felt like he was taking her in before he turned his attention back to the city that was sprawled out before them. "Was it everything you'd hoped for?" he asked.

"And then some," Caroline replied. Her eyes drifted to the city as well, but she couldn't resist looking sideways at him as she spoke. "I wasn't sure you were still around," she said. "Your name isn't whispered in terror anymore. The mysterious, big, bad Klaus who everyone feared," she teased.

"Are you surprised?" Klaus asked. He turned again, leaning sideways against the railing so he was facing her. "Disappointed?"

Caroline shook her head, turning sideways as well to face him. There was no need to answer his questions. They both knew how she felt about the changes he had obviously made. "How are you?" she asked.

"Very well, sweetheart," Klaus replied. "Kol and I have been traveling for a few years now since my sister fell in love with a cretin and abandoned me." He rolled his eyes, disgusted, and Caroline couldn't help but giggle.

"How is Damon?" she asked.

Klaus gave her a look. "He's treating Rebekah well and that's as much as I care to discuss him. We still don't see eye to eye. How is my old friend Stefan?" he asked, "And the lovely Elena?"

"They're both good. Elena is here with me and her husband, but you probably already knew that," Caroline said. She raised a questioning eyebrow and Klaus actually looked sheepish for a fleeting moment as he nodded.

"What about you, love? Has life been good to you the way you deserve?" Klaus asked.

Caroline nodded. "Probably even better than I deserve," she said softly. Her smile returned and she tilted her head in the direction of the city. "Are you still up for showing me those paintings?" she asked.

Klaus's smile widened and he nodded as he held out his arm to her. "Happy Birthday, sweetheart," he said.

She took his arm without hesitation, the smile never leaving her face. "Thank you."


End file.
